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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505343">VOXISTALE: Season 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/true_comic/pseuds/true_comic'>true_comic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voxistale [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drama, Gen, Humor, Serious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:27:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>128,838</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/true_comic/pseuds/true_comic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time...<br/>A human fell underground.<br/>Beneath the surface, they made friends.<br/>Made enemies.<br/>Made mistakes.<br/>Made things right.<br/>After a long time, the human decided to stay, calling the underground home.<br/>The monsters, her family.<br/>One day, the underground was destroyed, but the monsters were able to escape, thanks to the human.<br/>For years, they have lived on the surface.<br/>Their story is far from over...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voxistale [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088036</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. "A Happy Ending"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div><p>
    <em>Once upon a time…</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>A human fell underground.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>Beneath the surface, they made friends.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>Made enemies.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>Made mistakes.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>Made things right.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>After a long time, the human decided to stay, calling the underground home.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>The monsters, her family.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>One day, the underground was destroyed, but the monsters were able to escape, thanks to the human.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>For years, they have lived on the surface.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>Their story is far from over...</em>
  </p>
<hr/><p>Voxis City.</p><p>The largest city in the world. Miles upon miles of a rainforest of skyscrapers. The center of the city contains the oldest of these, dating back over a hundred years.</p><p>As you reach the outskirts of the city, you reach an even larger expanse of land. Suburban settlements, all still a part of Voxis. A massive network of communities. Humans and Monsters alike occupy this city.</p><p>Mt. Ebott once sat nearby, now having caved in, leaving very little behind after the volcanic eruption.</p><p>In one of the suburban homes was the girl famed with having saved all of monsterkind. She was known far and wide. Once the human ambassador for the monsters, until the monster king took that role after the integration process, which was still an on-going project.</p><p>This girl's name was Frisk.</p><p>She sat at a wooden desk in her room, papers, books and writing utensils scattered across its surface, most stuff stacked out of the way. In front of her sat a paper that she was writing on, scribbling fast, the smell of bacon drifting up from the kitchen.</p><p>The room was fairly sized, walls painted a fair royal blue. All except the far wall in her room, which was a mess of colors, painted by a close friend of hers. A skeleton monster named Papyrus, who had used just about every color he possibly could to represent all of his and Frisk's friends. Due to the main coloration of the room, Papyrus assumed that Frisk had the most admiration for Undyne, which he respected and agreed with. The majority of the wall he'd painted, which Frisk commonly referred to as the "Papwall", was colored in orange, the color Papyrus associated with himself. When she asked why it wasn't red, as it was his favorite color, he informed her that he had given the rights of that color to Asgore.</p><p>A twin-sized bed sat in her room, head against the papwall, horizontal with the room. The floor was a comfortable light brown carpet, the ceiling a smooth white. Her light had four bulbs below a spinning fan that Toriel claimed "collected more dust than Gerson on a morning jog".</p><p>A dresser was located nearby, four drawers. The top drawer held her undergarments. Underwear, socks, and the more recent addition of bras. She typically preferred to wear sports bras. Any other than that made her uncomfortable.</p><p>The second drawer held her shirts. A various arrangement of different colors. Only a couple years ago, the only shirts that had filled that drawer were blue sweaters with purple stripes.</p><p>The third drawer held various pants, skirts, and shorts. Almost all were jeans, or similar to the material.</p><p>The bottomost drawer contained pajamas and dress clothes, including a blue dress she wore to school dances. It was beginning to get a little too small on her, so she doubted she'd get to wear it to prom a couple years from now.</p><p>Her walls were lined with various pictures, most of which were group pictures of her and the other monsters. One wall was decorated with a shot of her and Mettaton together, which the singing sensation had taken to having one selfie with Frisk framed every month. It was actually a pretty decent way of seeing Frisk age over the last three years.</p><p>She'd changed a lot.</p><p>When she had led the monsters out of the underground for the last time, she had been much shorter, more yellow-skinned, with shoulder-length dark brown hair and slanted eyes. So slanted it was actually difficult for most to see her actual eyes, which were a rare scarlet in color.</p><p>Her nose had been small and pointy, and she'd been somewhat chubby.</p><p>Now, three years later, she'd changed a lot. She had grown nearly a foot taller, her hair now long and flowing, down to the middle of her back. Her eyes remained as slanted as ever, but her skin had lightened with time, getting more pale. Her nose had grown longer, but was still fairly pointy. She'd thinned out with her height, and her chest had begun to pop more, much to her embarrassment, even after Toriel had sat her down and had the "talk" with her. Apparently she was late on "blooming", as her mother put it.</p><p>As she sat at her desk, she wore a pair of jean shorts, knee-high white socks with black tennis shoes, and a dark red t-shirt with a picture of spaghetti on the front, courtesy of Papyrus.</p><p>As she wrote, she muttered the words out loud as they were put down, trying to go as quickly as she could.</p><p>"A lot has happened since I fell underground. I made friends, discovered myself, and found a family. Then I saved them all. Today, we all live on the surface. Together. Happy. No more struggle. The people I love and care about are flourishing in ways I couldn't even predict. I'm so proud of each and every one of them."</p><p>She paused, lifting her pen off the paper, furrowing her dark eyebrows as she scanned the last paragraph. This was a worksheet for English II that she'd been procrastinating on for some time, but it was due today and she couldn't put it off any longer.</p><p>"Frisk, my child! Breakfast!"</p><p>"Coming, mom!" Frisk yelled back to the sweet voice calling kindly up to her. This worksheet would have to do. It was supposed to be a self-reflection and an autobiography altogether. She was nervous about turning it in, hence her procrastination. Each student would have to read their story out loud in front of the class, and while she didn't have an issue with doing that, she wasn't comfortable with sharing her life story, so she'd been as brief and simple as she possibly could.</p><p>Quickly, she folded the paper haphazardly and grabbed the strap of her black backpack, pulling it up to her desk and unzipping the front, shoving in the paper, and zipping it closed.</p><p>She slung the bag over her shoulder, and dashed out of the room. She was gone for nearly a full second before she dashed back in and grabbed her pen off her desk, then ran back out, closing the door behind her.</p><p>Frisk's room led into a hallway where there were two other doors and a set of stairs down. The door across from Frisk's room led to the upstairs bathroom. The last door was near the head of the stairs, and led into Toriel's room.</p><p>Down the stairs was the first floor, where there was the kitchen/dining room, the living room, the laundry room, pantry, two closets, another bathroom, and a guest room. They also had a basement, but the entrance was outside.</p><p>Frisk raced into the kitchen, coming to a quick stop near the dining table. There were three other individuals in the kitchen when she came in. Her adopted mother Toriel stood at the stove, humming as she finished up breakfast. A classic combination of fried bacon, scrambled eggs smothered in cheese, jellied toast, and a refreshing glass of cold orange juice.</p><p>She wore a blouse tucked into her waist, beneath a long skirt, both purple in color. A pair of smart folk glasses sat on her face.</p><p>At the front door stood Papyrus, rattling his bones in anticipation, his face screwed up in concentration, pacing back and forth in front of the exit, stroking his chin thoughtfully, muttering slogans to himself, like "Paready Papasta" and "You can't spell pasta without several letters from Papyrus".</p><p>He used to wear what was referred to as his "battle body", but now spent most of his time dressed like a chef. This was one of those times.</p><p>At the dining table sat Papyrus' older, but shorter brother, Sans. He leaned against the back of his chair, arms resting behind his head, eyes closed, a grin ever-present on his face.</p><p>He was the one monster who never seemed to physically change. He still wore his ketchup-stained white t-shirt beneath his moth-eaten jacket. Black gym shorts with white singular stripes going up horizontally. White socks, and a pair of pink, fluffy slippers. The only changes he'd made was wearing a newer, cleaner pair of socks, as Papyrus had gone on a purge just a few months ago, ridding the entire house of all of Sans' socks. Sans had simply bought more and carefully placed then where his old socks had once sat. Papyrus gave up at that point. The other change was his color of jacket. It was now a deep scarlet, hand-picked by Papyrus because 'the old one smelled too much like moldy tomato stew'. The old jacket was long gone by now, but Papyrus had chosen the color so the two of them would be matching- up until Papyrus stopped wearing his battle body.</p><p>The moment Frisk entered, Sans had clearly made a joke, as Toriel interrupted her soft humming with a pleasant chuckle. "Oho, Sans."</p><p>She then shifted her gaze to Frisk. "Oh, Frisk dear! Your breakfast is almost finished. It's your favorite, my child. Happy birthday."</p><p>That explained why breakfast smelled better than usual this morning. Frisk had honestly almost forgotten... she turned 16 today...</p><p>For some reason, it didn't feel special. She didn't feel... different.</p><p>"hope you enjoy the anniversary of your conception, kiddo. only get it once a year." Sans grinned at her from the table, opening his right eye to look at her. "YES! THAT IS PERFECT, SANS!" Papyrus gasped, excitement lighting up his face, before grandiosely presenting his arms in the air. "PAPASTA ANNIVERSARY SALE!"</p><p>"you made papasta four months ago. still got another eight to go 'till the anniversary."</p><p>Papyrus frowned, excitement fading from his eyes as Toriel carried a plate of steaming, wonderful breakfast to Frisk as the teen put her bag down on the floor and sat down beside Sans.</p><p>"DARN. WELL, ANYWAY, HELLO HUMAN! I SEE YOU'RE DELECTABLY DECKED OUT WITH YOUR DELICIOUS DELIGHTS!"</p><p>"Thanks guys." Frisk replied awkwardly. She never liked her birthdays much, anyway. The attention just wasn't very appealing. She didn't like special attention, regardless of the reason. Sans gave her a light shrug. "don't sweat it, kid. least we can do for you after everything. funny how your birthday seems to land on the same day every year, huh?"</p><p>"THAT IS INDEED ODD." Papyrus agreed. "THERE'S SOME STRANGE, CONFUSING PATTERN GOING ON THERE. DON'T FEEL BAD FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING IT, SANS. I DON'T EITHER."</p><p>With that, Frisk dug into her breakfast. Sure, it burnt her tongue, but the amazing taste of Toriel's fried bacon exploded her mouth with wonderful flavors. She wasn't even a quarter of the way finished when Toriel suddenly gasped. "Oh my, it's getting late! Frisk, hurry up, dear. You don't want to be late for school."</p><p>"aw, come on, tori. it's her birthday. so what if she's a little after the bell? i can sign her in." Sans offered, patting Frisk on the shoulder as she gave her mother the cutest, most innocent face she could muster with bulging cheeks full of bacon.</p><p>Toriel narrowed her eyes at Sans, then Frisk, before smiling. "Oh, well... okay, then. Just don't take too long, alright?"</p><p>"got my internal alarm set for eight o'clock, your majesty." Sans winked in reply. Toriel smirked at that, and Frisk could tell what was coming.</p><p>Sans and Toriel had made a habit of tossing jokes and puns and occasional fake insults at each other when in the same room as each other. It was adorably sickening.</p><p>"Please, Sans. Just call me Toriel. I am no longer the queen." Toriel replied, and the short skeleton's grin widened. "maybe not out there, but this castle is ruled by you."</p><p>"A castle needs a king and a queen, Sans. Any suggestions for my betrothed?"</p><p>At this, Sans blushed. Or at least the skeleton equivalent. A shade of blue befell his face. "oh... um... i... no... not really..."</p><p>It seemed Toriel had won this round.</p><p>"Well, I have some rather crucial appointments to attend to that I'd rather not miss, so I shall take my leave." She sighed, resting the dishes in the sink and running cold water over them.</p><p>"Bye, mom!" Frisk tried to call through a mouthful of cheesy scrambled eggs. Papyrus whipped a box out from behind him. Where he stored it, nobody was sure, and frankly, nobody wanted to know. "TAKE A BOX OF PAPASTA FOR YOUR DAY, LADY ASGORE! NOW ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OFF FOR ITS ANNIVERSARY SALE!"</p><p>Papasta noodles were certainly not bad, but they were funded by Mettaton, who'd grown sweet on Sans' younger brother. Sweet enough to help Papyrus make his own brand of noodles, and even get a television program in the making called "Skelechef". Needless to say, Papyrus had his celebrity work cut out for him. Sans was worried over this, even if he didn't let anyone know that. He was worried that Papyrus would be fouled in some way, and wasn't eager to pick up the pieces.</p><p>The Papasta mascot was, if you could believe it, Papyrus himself. His grinning face cartoonishly drawn on the front wearing a chef's hat, disembodied gloved hands holding up a bowl of spaghetti in front of him, the box itself an orange color. The noodles inside were multicolored, as Papyrus had been intrigued and joyous over colored pasta when he'd discovered it at Flormart.</p><p>"Oh. Thank you, Papyrus." Toriel smiled kindly, gently taking the box from him, and moving toward a cabinet.</p><p>"I'll put it with the others." Upon opening the cabinet, they could see stacks of other Papasta boxes inside. It was a tight fit, but the new box made it in, and she closed the cabinet. Papyrus beamed at her.</p><p>With that, Toriel began making her way for the door. "hey." Sans called to her. "break a leg."</p><p>She smiled. "'Tibia' continued, Sans."</p><p>"'femur' puns like that and i'll-"</p><p>"Do what? I'm the queen of this castle, Sans." She gave the skeleton a sly grin, and he 'blushed' again. "Have a wonderful day. I might be home late, Frisk. You're free to stay over at Sans and Papyrus'. I love you, my child." Toriel blew a kiss at Frisk, who swallowed down her last bit of toast. "Love you too, mom." She blew the kiss back, flakes of crust blowing from her lips.</p><p>"I ALSO LOVE YOU, MOM!" Papyrus agreed gleefully as Sans gave Toriel a last wink. "see ya."</p><p>And with that, Toriel was gone. There were a few moments of silence as Frisk finished up her bacon, and returned to her eggs, which there were still a lot of, and she was beginning to get full.</p><p>"so, kid. how'd those pig bits taste?"</p><p>"Really good!" Frisk smiled as Sans leaned back in his seat again. "don't tell porkly that."</p><p>"SPLENDID! I HELPED MAKE THEM!" Papyrus beamed happily, placing a hand importantly on his chest. "Oh..." Frisk gulped. "Did you add pasta?"</p><p>Papyrus' jaw almost dropped as his eyes widened in disbelief. There were a few moments of silence as Sans and Frisk stared at Papyrus, who eventually found his voice.</p><p>"...I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THAT."</p><p>Frisk watched sadly as the rest of her eggs were smothered in a rain of multicolored pasta noodles, some of which were shaped like poorly formed Papyrus heads.</p>
<hr/><p>There were many familiar landmarks Frisk witnessed during the ride from her home to school. First was Aaron's Crossfit Flexing, though the monster mostly liked to flex in front of anybody who walked through the door. Surprisingly enough, business actually did fairly well for him.</p><p>Then there was Dreamhope Elementary, Toriel's workplace. Frisk took notice that Toriel's car wasn't parked outside, but didn't think much of it. Perhaps her adopted mother had decided to go to the store and pick something up.</p><p>Next, came a McOswald's. Sure, Voxis had many, but this one was different because of one of the employees, the depressed and sometimes exuberant Burgerpants. Nobody was actually sure if that was his real name or not, but the monster tended to avoid the topic of his name with desperate fervor.</p><p>Then there was Catty and Bratty's Beauty Salon. Originally they'd started their business at a landfill just outside of town, but when Mettaton took notice of their work, they'd been given employment under him and were actually quite successful. That didn't stop them from dumpster diving still, however.</p><p>After that was Asgore's. It wasn't too different from Toriel's house. Despite their ruined relationship, the both of them had shared tastes in just about everything. That was when they moved past the residential area and began making their way into the heart of the city.</p><p>The first thing they passed was the Monster Integration Office, something run by Asgore after he'd taken over Frisk's ambassador duties. Originally, the integration program was met with a lot of resistance, but over time, it became accepted. Its job was to find monsters jobs, homes, and a safe place to go.</p><p>Then there was Obatech Industries, a massive office building run by the richest and most powerful man in the city, Jonathan Obaseki, who also happened to be Asgore's boss.</p><p>After that, they turned a corner, passing by the police station where Undyne worked at. Unfortunately, Undyne couldn't get much higher in the ranks due to a supposedly racist boss. She was easily his best cop, but who she was seemed to affect his decision of a promotion. Asgore was working himself into office, one of the acts he planned to pass was the Monster Integration Act, which disallowed employer interests from treating monster employees any differently from human employees. It wouldn't fix all their problems, but it'd be a start.</p><p>Then there was Voxis Middle School, which Frisk had attended for a couple of years before graduating to High School. There, she'd met her two closest human friends. Terrence Anoma and Gregory Favian.</p><p>Terrence had been and still was the 'popular' kid. He was both charming and handsome, not to mention easy to get along with and mature. It was no surprise when he'd asked Frisk out back in Freshman year. Frisk, of course, said yes. The relationship didn't last long, the two deciding to remain as friends and possibly try again another time. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't maintain feelings for him.</p><p>Gregory was always the shy, quiet kid who stuck himself in the back corner of class, got his work done before anybody else even knew what they were doing, and placed his nose in a good book for the remainder of the block. He'd come out of his shell a lot more since he'd become friends with Frisk and Terrence, but sometimes felt third-wheeled around them, especially when they started dating. He's always had a very low self-esteem, and despite their close friendship, adamantly believes he doesn't deserve friends like them.</p><p>Next to pass was Muffet's. That was what it was called. The spider monster had been inspired by the homey simplicity of Grillby's that she opted to copy the style with her own. Sure, her meals were a bit pricey. While she had learned to lower her prices, Muffet's was still the most expensive place to eat in all of Voxis. That didn't go without saying that her meals were very high in quality. She and her spiders could cook basically anything you wanted, and fast, too. Service was exceptionally good, as well. In the end, a $100 meal was sometimes worth it. Sometimes. Frisk, fortunately, got discounts and sometimes free meals due to her friendship with Muffet.</p><p>Grillby's was the next place they passed, and it was certainly much cheaper. It wasn't quite as high quality as Muffet's, but it was homey and welcoming. Grillby had his daughter, Fuku, working for him part-time while she started her senior year at Voxis High. He hoped to be able to retire eventually, and for her to take over his business, but his daughter had different dreams. Ironically, she wanted to become a Marine Biologist. Sans remained his best customer.</p><p>Finally, after rounding another block, they were near the heart of Voxis City. City Hall could be distantly seen as Sans pulled up to the drop-off lane in front of the school. The girl climbed off the back, adjusting her backpack before looking back at Sans, who grinned dolefully at her. "school's waitin', kiddo." He told her. "have a good day."</p><p>"You too, Sans." She replied with a smile, before turning and making her way into the building, and made a beeline for Marine Biology. That was her first class of the day, which she was lucky enough to have with Greg. He was pretty nerdy, but not in a cliche way… maybe, but he still managed to make the otherwise boring class bearable. Frisk loved marine life, but learning about seven kinds of plankton and algae? Bleh.</p>
<hr/><p>Frisk entered the classroom to find most of her peers were already seated inside, waiting for class to start, either chatting with their friends and waiting patiently, some on their phones, others trying to catch up on the homework they'd procrastinated on. Mr. Gagne, their teacher, was seated at the head of the class behind his desk, taking silent attendance, glancing up at Frisk before marking her down. He was a tall, scrawny, dorky-looking man in his mid-thirties with a bushy beard and thick round glasses that magnified his beady eyes tenfold it seemed.</p><p>As per usual, Gregory was stationed in the corner of the room, a pencil tucked over his ear as he stared expectantly at Mr. Gagne through his own pair of glasses, which were rectangular and nowhere near as thick. Greg had a thin face and body, not that different to their teacher, with medium-length jet black hair that was brushed as well as it could be, though remained extremely untidy. The most interesting part of Gregory's appearance were his eyes. Big and violet, with a steely gaze to them. Before him sat a blank sheet of paper, no doubt ready for him to start copying down Mr. Gagne's lesson word-for-word. When Greg caught sight of Frisk as she took the seat beside him, he grinned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Hey." She greeted, getting settled in.</p><p>"Hi Frisk." He returned just as the bell rang and Mr. Gagne sprang up with the usual monotone; "Good morning, class" to which only about three people replied, including Frisk and Gregory. Gagne placed a piece of paper in his projector, which was displayed on the board. He shifted it to be angled perfectly in contrast to its smartboard background. The paper read; 'Write down one type of plankton and describe what it does. Be prepared to share your answer'. Greg was the first to move, sliding his pencil out from over his ear and beginning to write rapidly in miniscule writing Frisk doubted anybody but he could discern.</p><p>She decided to write about phytoplankton, or what she could remember of it. Frisk hadn't even written her first three words when Greg set his pencil down, a full paragraph written out on his paper. First to begin work, first to finish. This was the way of Greg and it may never change.</p><p>Eventually, Mr. Gagne cleared his throat to get everyone's attention as he held one of those shiny red sticks with a pointer at the end that every teacher with a smartboard loved. "Alright class, would someone like to read their answers?" He asked, his voice cracking as he said it, leaving him to clear his throat once again. Greg's hand was in the air before Mr. Gagne had even finished speaking. A few other hands raised, but with much less enthusiasm. There was never any real point to raise a hand in class when you share it with the one named Gregory Favian.</p><p>Mr. Gagne chuckled, but it sounded nervous, as though he were scared. "Frisk, how about you?" He asked, before chuckling again and waving his hand dismissively. "Kidding, kidding… Greg, impress me."</p><p>Frisk found this a little rude and unnecessary, but didn't indulge it. Mr. Gagne was one of those teachers that thought he was funny and chill when he did things like that, but mostly came off as rude and a little dismissive to the students. Come to think of it, that describes a lot of teachers.</p><p>"Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight in order to live and grow. Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates the water. Phytoplankton also require inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and sulfur which they convert into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates." Greg stated in a single breath, to which somebody at the front of the room groaned and laid their head down on their table.</p><p>"I don't think we've even gotten that far in the textbook. You must have read ahead. Well done, as usual, Greg," Mr. Gagne nodded. "Anybody else?" His voice cracked again.</p><p>A kid raised his hand.</p><p>"Tyler."</p><p>"Phytoplankton, also- uh... microalgae... it needs sunlight..." Tyler faltered, failing to reword Greg's answer.</p><p>Mr. Gagne seemed to stop listening to Tyler, turning away and marching toward the front of the classroom. Greg noticeably blushed. He loved being who he was, but he hated the attention he got, and always felt bad when he made others look less than he. "Poor Tyler..." Frisk shook her head. It wasn't Greg's fault or anything- but he didn't even really leave much room for anyone else to look smart, so a lot of people usually tried to piggyback off of his brains, but... well, it didn't turn out too well.</p><p>Greg glanced over at Frisk, still red in the face. "Um, hey Frisk." He greeted, more awkwardly than before. "Terrence wanted me to tell you to meet him behind the school during lunch. I uh... only just remembered."</p><p>Frisk raised an eyebrow, confused. Terrence rarely spent any time during lunch doing anything but food fights.</p><p>"Thanks for telling me," she gave him a nod, before, just like nearly every other student in the classroom, her eyes drifted to the clock. She then looked back at Greg. "Hey, when does this class get out, again?" she asked in a hushed tone.</p><p>"Same time as every day." Greg replied, beginning to write something down on his paper. Frisk simply stared at him, which he was quick to notice.</p><p>"Er- 8:55." He added, pursing his lips.</p><p>"Thank you," she nodded, before Mr. Gagne's voice filled the room.</p><p>"Now, today we're going to be learning about oxygen levels in the atmosphere, and how much of the oxygen is produced by plankton..."</p><p>He droned on and on, continuing even after he told the students what their assignment was and not allowing them to start until he finished. Greg was the only one who seemed capable of paying attention.</p><p>Frisk had an itch. Something she'd been wanting to tell Greg ever since she'd walked into that room and seen him.</p><p>As Mr. Gagne turned away, Frisk directed her attention to Greg. "I saw… it… again." She whispered.</p><p>Immediately, Greg paled. "Again? You sure?"</p><p>"I'm pretty sure... unless it was a different stalker thing, maybe?"</p><p>Greg paled even more. "U-Um... well, you could do what Terrence suggested and set up a video camera, or something..."</p><p>Frisk shook her head. "Mom would be suspicious if I did. And if I did do that, I'm worried I'll see something on video that I'd rather not."</p><p>"I still think you should tell her." Greg advised. Frisk bit her cheek. She'd thought about it for a while. Letting Toriel know about this felt like it was the right thing to do, but for some reason... Frisk couldn't convince herself to do it.</p><p>"I will." She replied. "Soon."</p><p>"Did it do anything?"</p><p>"No." Frisk shook her head. "Same as always. Just... stood there. Watching." She paused. "But... I think it wasn't staring through the kitchen window this time."</p><p>Greg gulped, staring at Frisk as she continued. "It looked almost like it was staring back at me this time..."</p><p>"Frisk... you could be in some serious danger here, one of these days he might try and get into the house, or-"</p><p>"Gregory," Mr. Gagne's voice interrupted. "Is it something you would like to share with the rest of the class?"</p><p>"No," Greg replied instinctively.</p><p>"Now, if you will, class, please do as I instructed. And the only thing I want to hear until the bell is pencils touching papers."</p><p>"Lunch. Behind the school." Greg muttered to Frisk. "We'll talk more about it then."</p><p>"Oh, and Mr. Favian." Gagne called to Greg, who looked up. "Stay after class, will you? There's something I need to talk to you about."</p><p>"Oh great..." Greg sighed, before turning and beginning his assignment while most of the other students discreetly tapped at their phones or played table football.</p>
<hr/><p>A dirty blonde, shaggy haired boy stood behind the school, leaned up against a wall. He was slightly taller than the average sixteen year old, and had a good build. He was desperately trying to rub away a lipstick mark on his arm, but to little avail, before he decided to give up and concealed it with his sleeve. He was standing a few meters away from the double doors into the cafeteria, which were pushed open by his two best friends; Frisk Dreemurr and Gregory Favian.</p><p>"We haven't hung out here since the middle of last year." Greg commented, his eyes clearly showing he was beginning to reminisce about their freshman year.</p><p>Terrence Anoma grinned widely, looking from Greg, to Frisk, before his grin widened even more.</p><p>"There's the birthday girl," Terrence said, winking. "The big one-six, Frisk, how's it feel?"</p><p>Greg's face flushed. "That was today...?" he looked ashamed and embarrassed at the same time.</p><p>Frisk awkwardly chuckled. "Uh... fine. I guess." She usually wasn't much of a shy person, anyone knew that. However, she always did get shy when receiving direct compliments or congratulations of the sort for reasons nobody really knew why. Frisk herself didn't wasn't even sure. That's just how it was.</p><p>"Trust me, Frisk, this is a whole new chapter for you. You know, driving, independence, uh... driving. Yeah, mostly driving."</p><p>"So... why did we come out back here?" Greg wondered.</p><p>"Because I can't wish anyone happy birthday with a crowd," Terrence rolled his eyes, gesturing to the door.</p><p>Greg bit his cheek as he looked through the door's windows, watching a group of pretty girls at a nearby lunch table glance repeatedly at Terrence.</p><p>"Well, let's stay out here for a little longer." Frisk said. "I have an update about the... about the… it. A thing about the thing."</p><p>"Oh, geez,you mean <em>the </em>thing?" Terrence's friendly attitude seemed to sink into a worried one. "What happened?"</p><p>"The same as usual," Frisk said, "but I think it was staring through my window this time."</p><p>Terrence sighed. "You gotta be kidding... like, directly at you?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"When did they leave?"</p><p>"I don't know."</p><p>Terrence bit lip. "You gotta tell Toriel. Or call the police."</p><p>"I know, I know..." Frisk sighed. "It's just... I don't know. For some reason, my heart is telling me not to. Like somehow, that by not telling my mom, I'm saving her from something."</p><p>"If you don't, we'll come over to your place." Greg stated. "She needs to know. We want to help, but you need to let an adult know about this guy."</p><p>"Come on, Frisk, think about this logically. Creepy stalker man outside your house. If you tell Toriel, the chances of that man going away increase, because she'll either A) have him arrested, or B) kick the shit out of him, because your mom is really cool. Not telling her is like inviting this guy to keep coming back, you know?"</p><p>Frisk folded her arms. "I know. I know all of that. I know what I'm supposed to do. I know what I want to do... but I have... trouble."</p><p>"Then we'll come over to help you." Greg offered.</p><p>"Yeah, as cheesy as it sounds, we're your friends. And friends don't let their friends lose sleep and get creeped out by stalkers all the time, you know?" Terrence smiled. The girl chuckled. "Yeah." She looked toward Greg, then back at Terrence. "Thanks. I'll tell her tonight, then. Or as soon as I can. Right now, though, I'm hungry."</p><p>"Wanna eat some garbage cafeteria food, or go down to Grillby's and get some good stuff?" Terrence asked, looking smug as he stated the obvious choice. He'd become a Grillby's addict ever since he'd been introduced to Sans.</p><p>"Grillby's," Frisk said without skipping a beat.</p><p>"If we can make it back in time." Greg said, rubbing his thumb nervously. "You remember what happened the least time we went, right?"</p><p>"Ah, come on, do you want this girl to eat cold, wet tater tots on her birthday, Greg?" Terrence asked charismatically. "My treat. What do you say?"</p><p>Greg pursed his lips. "...Fine. But you'd better hope your time management has improved."</p>
<hr/><p>"Thanks Grillbs." Frisk smiled at the fire monster, who gave her a courteous nod of his head, and walked away from their table, swishing a rag in a shot glass, a service dish tucked under his armpit.</p><p>He'd just delivered the three shakes they'd ordered. Frisk had a classic chocolate with chocolate-flavored whipped cream, Greg had mint cookie with classic whipped cream, and Terrence's shake was also chocolate, but with extra sprinkles and no whipped cream, because he often claimed the cream 'got in the way' of enjoying the shake.</p><p>"Wow, he gave you a nod? Last time I tried to call him Grillbs, all I got was a cold stare... or a hot stare, maybe." Terrence shrugged.</p><p>"I've told you a million times." Frisk giggled. "He respects me. The only other people I've ever seen Grillby give a crap about has been Sans and his daughter, Fuku."</p><p>There was the sound of a short choke, then a wet splatter, and Greg rose his face up from his shake, mouth covered in cream as he coughed. "Grillby has a daughter?"</p><p>"Yes. Do you guys never pay attention?" Frisk blinked. Greg gulped, grabbing a napkin and wiping the shake's contents from his face. "We do! It's just... distracting in here." He shrugged, glancing about. "So many different people and monsters. They all have so many interesting things to say."</p><p>"So... you eavesdrop all the time?" Terrence smirked. Greg only shrugged. "It's easy. Nobody notices me anyway, I can get away with it."</p><p>"Speaking of Grillby's daughter, isn't she the green fire-lady with the, uh... uh... someone, someone help me out, I'm drawing a blank," Terrence said, snapping his fingers as though that would help him gain a better train of thought.</p><p>"Her name is Fuku," Frisk informed them. "She goes to our school. How do you guys not know her?"</p><p>"Well, is she in our grade?" Terrence asked, taking a sip of his shake. Frisk shook her head.</p><p>"No. She's a year ahead of us, I think... wait, Greg, how often do you eavesdrop on people? Do you eavesdrop on us, too?" Frisk looked curious.</p><p>"Sometimes. I try not to with you guys, though. Since..." He paused as Frisk frowned at him. "I uh... respect you guys. More than other people... Why?"</p><p>"Just wondering," Frisk shrugged, taking a sip of her milkshake.</p><p>"We have twenty-five minutes left for lunch," Greg informed them, eyes glued to a watch on his arm. "It's about an eight minute walk back, so-"</p><p>"Relax, we'll be alright. And even if we're not, it's not the end of the world," Terrence said, seeming unbothered. "We have plenty of time."</p><p>"Not the end of the world for you, you mean." Greg sighed. "I have a perfect attendance, and-"</p><p>"Relax." Frisk repeated Terrence's advice. Greg pursed his lips, then sighed and took a sip of his milkshake. "Alright." He submitted.</p><p>"Listen, think about it this way, if it's an eight minute walk back," Terrence said, leaning back. "We have twenty five minutes total, that means we have seventeen minutes to get out of here. Grillby doesn't usually dawdle, so we'll get our food, eat, and leave, and then get back for some boring lectures with time to spare. See, I'm a bit of a mathematician."</p><p>"I know all that." Gregory huffed. "Last time you said all of that, though, you made us stop at the mall because you claimed there was something you wanted at Hot Topic." He paused as Frisk snickered in remembrance of it before Greg continued.</p><p>"It wasn't even there."</p><p>"Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know that that magazine was from 2012? Besides, if it had been there, it would have been great. But apparently they don't make them anymore."</p><p>"Yeah, sure. Then-"</p><p>Greg was cut off as Terrence rose up in his seat, grinning. "Guys, let's go to the mall!"</p><p>"What!?" Greg paled. Terrence placed his hands on his hips. "It's Frisk's birthday. Let's get her something special."</p><p>"You're joking!" Greg said, eyes as wide as saucers.</p><p>"Joking? Why would I be joking?" Terrence looked genuinely confused. "Come on, we should get her something, and what better place than the mall?"</p><p>"Why can't we just do it after school?" Greg questioned, looking uneasy.</p><p>This time, it was Terrence's turn to pale. He scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, don't actually have time after school, until like, seven thirty."</p><p>"Neither do I." Frisk added. Gregory appeared extremely conflicted, biting his cheek and looking between the two individuals, unsure. "Okay... okay, but... I need to be back in class on-time."</p><p>"If we go, we will definitely be late," Terrence shrugged, leaning back. "I think it's a small price to pay." Greg winced, slumping in his seat as he began to ponder his options. "Um..." Gregory bit his lip. "I... I don't know..."</p><p>"Come on, you can afford to miss one class. Besides, if we have a good enough excuse, they won't mark you late or absent," Terrence said as Grillby approached with a tray of food.</p><p>"I... really can't..." He got his lip. Frisk let out a sigh and shrugged. "Then it's okay." She stated. "We can go some other time."</p><p>Terrence looked annoyed, but he also wasn't willing to start a full-blown argument right now, so he dropped it. Grillby began to set the plates of food down.</p><p>Greg appeared relieved as Frisk was quick to dig into her meal. Before he began to eat, Greg awkwardly stated; "Sorry guys. I just... I really can't."</p><p>"And... why not, exactly?" Terrence asked, raising an eyebrow as he ate a fry. "...I um..." He took a bite out of his burger. "Can't miss anything." He chewed lightly, then slowly swallowed. "Anything."</p><p>"Whatev," Terrence sighed, taking a bite of his pasta, which was noticeably shaped like a certain skeleton's face... sort of.</p><p>Greg seemed to shrink into his seat as he ate silently. Frisk shook her head. Her two best friends hadn't even known each other until they'd become friends with her. They were just so very different, and so were their motives.</p><p>Frisk knew that Greg felt strongly about academics and knowledge. He was devoted to his grades, attendance, and anything else of the sort. Not to mention, he had a rather poor home life. Terrence on the other hand, was popular, a magnet for attention, and wasn't very careful about his grades, but as for his home life, he'd never really told Frisk much about that aside from 'complicated'.</p><p>They finished their meal in awkward silence. It was unfortunate, but not unknown. Terrence and Greg butted heads a lot, despite the fact that Greg was as shy as they came.</p><p>They made their way back to school in silence as well, and when reaching the building, Greg quietly departed from the group to go to his class while Frisk and Terrence remained together, their next class being Algebra II.</p><p>"Man, Mr. Kay's gonna hand it to me today," Terrence said as they stood outside the classroom door. "I didn't do my homework."</p><p>"What's going on? You haven't done your homework all week," Frisk asked. "Usually, you at least get it half-done."</p><p>"Busy week, is all," Terrence replied, but he was a terrible liar.</p><p>"Right. Totally busy. Lounging at pools, wandering the streets. Homework is supposed to be at home. You never get it done because you're never home." Frisk stated matter-of-factly.</p><p>"Yeah, well," Terrence looked away. "I don't really like it there, is all," he said as they neared the classroom door. Mr. Kay was standing outside, checking off student's names on the attendance sheet as they entered the room.</p><p>"You've never said why." Frisk replied as they got in line. "I'm your best friend, Terrence. You may not want it, but I care for you more than just inside this school building."</p><p>"I get that, you know I get that. But seriously, my problems are trivial. You don't have to worry about me, if I had something really bad going on, you'd be the first to know."</p><p>That much was true. His situation at home wasn't ideal, but it was too familiar for him to consider it very bad. He was... used to it.</p><p>Frisk gave Terrence a long stare, before turning away from him as they neared the front of the line. "Nothing is too trivial. I know you'll tell me when you're ready." She shrugged.</p><p>Terrence bit the inside of his cheek, but didn't reply as they were both granted entry by Mr. Kay., a seedy old man who took his class very seriously. He was generally a friendly teacher, nonetheless.</p>
<hr/><p>Frisk, Greg, and Terrence. It had become widely known throughout the school that you could only say these three names in a single breath. They were the strangest but certainly not the worst group of friends. Despite the obvious differences between them, they were still as close as could be.</p><p>Just like every school day for the last two years, the three walked out of the front of the school building side-by-side. During their first year together, Greg was always the one to split from the group first so as to greet his father and get a ride home at the front entrance. Then the divorce happened, and he started taking the bus with Frisk and Terrence. It wasn't until this year that Toriel had begun taking it upon herself to personally transport Frisk to school and back every single day, but looking out upon the car line, it became obvious the ex-queen wasn't around.</p><p>Though someone else did stick out like a sore thumb on his blue scooter, grinning lazily at Frisk.</p><p>"Looks like Sans is my ride today." Frisk commented to her two friends.</p><p>"I thought he had a bike," Terrence said, looking at the scooter. "Guess he upgraded. Anyways, see you later, Frisk, happy birthday," Terrence bid her farewell, giving her a wave as he headed off toward the school bus.</p><p>"Bye," Greg told her, giving her a brief smile as he followed Terrence. Frisk waved at them as they left, before she approached Sans.</p><p>"hey kiddo," the grinning skeleton greeted. "how was school?"</p><p>"Long and busy." She shrugged as she climbed on behind him. "Like usual."</p><p>"heard you hung at grillby's for lunch." Sans chuckled as he started up the scooter.</p><p>"Yeah. Perks of having a birthday and friends, I guess. Just out of curiosity, how did you know?" Frisk asked.</p><p>"simple. see, i went to grillby's. while i was there, i was talking to grillby. he said 'by the way, frisk and her friends were here earlier.'"</p><p>"What did you say?"</p><p>"i forgot," Sans said, grin widening as the scooter took off. It was slow, but enjoyable enough.</p><p>The wind softly lashed against her hair, which flowed out behind her. Frisk's hair was an item of particular pride she held for herself. She took good care of it and felt beautiful having it.</p><p>"so... tori ain't home yet."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>"wanna stay at the house with pap and i 'till she comes back?" Sans asked. The human bit her cheek, thinking about it for a moment. Deciding to let her disappointment control her, Frisk shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll just head home. I'm actually pretty tired."</p><p>For a month now, Toriel had been doing this. Disappearing early in the morning and not showing up until late at night. Frisk was worried about her, but upon prying for answers, Toriel was abundantly clear she wasn't breaking.</p><p>So Frisk had angrily allowed her adopted mother to keep her secrets. She had just hoped that Toriel would put aside whatever her personal project was and give Frisk the attention she needed on her birthday.</p><p>"well, i'm all for resting up, kiddo, but just remember to wake up in time for your party. not much point in having a party for the birthday girl if she doesn't show up."</p><p>"Have you ever slept through a birthday party?" Frisk asked him as he took a sharp turn- or, what would have been a sharp turn in just about any other vehicle.</p><p>"yeah. but i still show up," Sans replied. "just wait till you see the presents pap and i got you. and he didn't even get you pasta, so you know he put a lot of thought into it. isn't my bro cool?"</p><p>Frisk smiled warmly at the familiar question. "The coolest." She replied as her house came into sight. "the coolestest." Sans chuckled, pulling into the driveway and coming to a stop. As expected, Toriel's car was missing.</p><p>"oh well. i'm sure she'll be back in time for your celebration," Sans assured her as she hopped off the scooter. She was admittedly disappointed, as she'd hoped to spend a little extra time with Toriel today.</p><p>"Yeah... see ya, Sans." She waved to the skeleton as he gave her his classic wink in return and backed out of the driveway. Frisk turned and made her way into the house.</p><p>She was quick to notice a small pile of letters on the table that hadn't been there that morning. Clearly Toriel had been home at some point.</p><p>Birthday cards were presumably inside. Cards from (in order from top to bottom) Papyrus, Sans, Mettaton, Asgore, Papyrus, Toriel, Muffet, Papyrus, Grillby, Terrence, Papyrus, Gregory, Undyne, Papyrus, Alphys, Papyrus, Gerson, and Papyrus.</p><p>Frisk quickly found herself eager to open them up, but restrained herself, knowing that everyone would want to watch her open them. Especially Papyrus, considering he'd given her seven of them.</p><p>Frisk headed into the kitchen, and saw that the pans full of egg scraps and bacon grease still lingered on the stovetop, the dishes done that morning apparently from dinner last night. She suddenly found herself very confused. Toriel usually made tidiness a top priority..</p><p>She brushed it off with a simple explanation. Toriel had just been in a rush, for whatever reason. A note sat on the fridge from the motherly monster for Frisk, who snatched it down and skimmed over it.</p><p>'<em>Dear Frisk,</em></p><p>
    <em>There is a butterscotch cinnamon pie in the fridge just for you. Remember to clean up after yourself and blah blah blah…'</em>
  </p><p>Frisk stopped paying attention to what she was reading after the 'clean up after yourself' part and wondered what Toriel could possibly be up to. There was no way an elementary job required this level of attention. Something deeper was happening here.</p><p>She realized she'd been re-reading the same line for the past minute over and over again. Annoyed, she crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash.</p><p>All she wanted was to sleep this day away now.</p><p>Frisk turned away from the trash bin that now held the discarded note. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this annoyed, or exhausted, or upset. It was easy to pretend she was enjoying her birthday, but all she could think about was Toriel. Toriel, her adoptive, loving mother, who seemed to <em>actually </em>be <em>avoiding </em>her.</p><p>Frisk made it up the stairs and into her bedroom. She didn't even bother changing into her sleep attire, making her way straight to the bed. On it was another note, with 'Frisk' written at the top in Toriel's graceful handwriting. The teenager stared at the note for a few seconds, and suddenly found her anger building. She wasn't in the mood to read more notes from Toriel- she wanted to <em>talk </em>to her mom, not read whatever she'd had the time to write. Frisk grabbed the note, and without hesitation, crumpled it up and tossed it aside, before taking its place on the bed and letting sleep take over…</p>
<hr/><p>Before she knew it, she felt herself return to the world of the living. Her eyes felt strained, and it took her a second to realize she'd cried herself to sleep.</p><p>That small detail made her remember her anger and frustration of Toriel. After twelve years of being rejected by her family, she had found Toriel. The mom she'd always wanted. Why were they growing so distant so fast?</p><p>Slowly, she turned her head to the desk beside her bed, which her clock sat on. It read '7:02'.</p><p>Fifty-eight minutes until her friends would start arriving for the party at eight. A party she really wasn't in the mood for.</p><p>Looking back toward the far wall, she noticed the crumpled note on the floor, and felt a pang of guilt. Maybe Toriel had left her an answer to her questions on it. It wouldn't hurt to read it...</p><p>Frisk stared at the letter for a few seconds, before slowly sliding herself out of bed and walking over to the crumpled letter. She was still hesitant to read it, quite annoyed with the way her birthday was unfolding. Nonetheless, she picked it up and uncrumpled it, finding it was actually two notes stuck together. She unstuck them, and began to read.</p><p>'<em>Dear Frisk,</em></p><p>
    <em>I am so sorry I've been acting the way I have been lately, but this has been very important. Not just to me, but for the sake of everyone. I believe my time is short, and I am sorry to cast my burden upon you. Under my bed is a loose floorboard. You'll know which one. Underneath is all of the evidence and files I've been gathering for the past month. I need you to take it to the police station. Straight to Undyne. This is bigger than any of us, but I can't do it myself. I'm being followed. Do this while they focus on me, my child. Please.</em>
  </p><p>
    <em>With love, Toriel'</em>
  </p><p>Frisk could feel her chest and throat churning and tightening with emotion with each word she read. She shook her head in disbelief. This was a prank, right? But it wasn't. Toriel would never pull a prank like this. The paranoia within Frisk took over, and she looked out the window to see a figure staring back at her in the moonlight.</p><p>It was the same as it had been every single night before. Tall, featureless, menacing, facing the house. Just like last night, it was staring up at her bedroom. Something was different this time, though. Normally it stood at the edge of the property. This time... it stood in the yard. Closer than ever before.</p><p>Fear gripped at Frisk's insides. She'd done so much in her past, accomplished so many impossible feats, but this... this was different. The world worked differently in the world of humans, it was far more… deadly. That was when she remembered the secret in Toriel's room.</p><p>Frisk couldn't bear to look at the note again, instead moving away from the window and making her way out the door. Her heart was in her throat as she raced to Toriel's bedroom, tears streaming down her face, and when she opened the door, she gasped.</p><p>The room was a mess. Papers everywhere. Her belongings were in piles on the floor, and quite frankly, it looked like nobody had bothered cleaning the place in weeks.</p><p>The bed was on its side, the mentioned floorboard strewn on the other side of the room. Frisk felt her stomach sink as she approached the hole it had left and peered inside to find that the hole was empty.</p><p>Someone else had already taken it.</p><p>Someone else had to have been in the house while she <em>slept</em>.</p><p>Knowing panic was on the verge of setting in, she knew she needed to call someone. The one person she knew would be the best help in this situation. The best help for her.</p><p>Asgore. She needed her adoptive father.</p><p>Frisk immediately left Toriel's room, practically flying down the stairs, turning, and entering the kitchen. She picked up the phone- but to her horror, the wire had been cut. She had to force herself not to hyperventilate- this felt like a nightmare, like a horror movie come to life. But it wasn't. She knew it was real.</p><p>Gritting her teeth, Frisk dropped to the floor, pressing her back against the wall just beneath the phone. She couldn't allow the panic to take over. She'd been in scary situations before, she just had to calm down and breathe...</p><p>In...</p><p>And out...</p><p>Frisk breathed for a moment longer, feeling her anxiety decrease ever so slightly. Enough for her to remember her cell phone. She rarely used it any more, but the thing was always ready for use, just under her pillow. She'd gotten in the habit of leaving it there during her relationship with Terrence when they would text each other late into the night.</p><p>Frisk raced back up the stairs and into her bedroom, looking out the window on her way to her bed. She saw that the figure was gone, and nearly had a heart attack. She took a deep breath- she'd be okay. She'd be okay. She needed to call Asgore. Frisk grabbed the phone from under her pillow, tapping the button on the bottom. The phone was dead.</p><p>Frisk grit her teeth, and dropped down onto her arms and knees to see the dusty, forgotten charger plugged into the wall practically under her bed. She stuck the end of the charger into her phone. It booted up slowly, and her impatience grew as she strained her ears, listening for any sound. Any peep.</p><p>Nothing. There wasn't a sound as her phone menu popped up and she immediately opened her contacts, seeing Asgore near the top of the list, just below Amber, an old friend of Frisk's. They had a falling out due to her relationship with Terrence, as Amber had feelings for him too.</p><p>She'd never deleted her contact though. Without hesitation, Frisk quickly pressed on Asgore's contact.</p><p>A variety of options appeared on the screen. 'Call,' 'Text,' 'Rename,' 'Erase,' 'Clear Conversation,' 'Check Call History,' and 'Add to Group Text.' Without hesitation,' Frisk quickly jammed her thumb down on the 'call' button. It took her a moment to realize it hadn't worked, and noticed that her screen was wet. She took a deep breath, wiping the tears off of her phone screen and holding it away from her face as she tapped 'call' again.</p><p>It began to ring.</p><p>It rang for a good ten seconds or so before Asgore's voice responded warmly to her call. A sound she felt so relieved to hear.</p><p>"Happy birthday, my child." He told her. "I was just finishing up here with the garden, will be on my way for the party in a minute or so."</p><p>"I-I need you to get over here right now," Frisk told Asgore, not even caring about how she sounded. Her squeaky voice made it obvious that she was a crying mess.</p><p>"I-" Asgore began, obviously confused, before pausing. "Very well. I'm on my way. Stay where you are."</p><p>The line went dead. Knowing Asgore, he was already climbing into his hoodless pick-up truck (hoodless due to his horns) and barreling down the road. To him, Frisk was his last chance to be a father. He tried to make it work despite Toriel's legal divorce. He wasn't legally Frisk's father, but she still called him as such, much to the chagrin of Toriel.</p><p>Frisk put the phone down. She needed to calm herself, otherwise she wouldn't be able to explain the situation to Asgore. She looked out the window, and as expected, the figure wasn't there. She didn't know what she preferred, honestly. At least when they'd been standing there, she knew where they were…</p><p>She started pacing back and forth in her room, chewing at her nails, letting the situation sink in more, her rationality returning back to her.</p><p>There was something serious going on here. The figure outside? Toriel's letter? The missing evidence? The cut line? Someone didn't want her to know something. Someone didn't want Toriel to reveal her secret about whatever she'd been doing for the past month.</p><p>Frisk looked at her alarm clock, noticing that it was now 7:29 PM. 31 minutes until the party. Honestly, she had absolutely no intention of letting the party happen now. Nobody would enjoy it anyways if she was sobbing the whole time. But at the same time, she didn't want to call everyone and cancel right now. On top of all that, she was unbelievably worried. More than just about herself, but also about Toriel. What kind of people was she involved with? Where was she? Why had she decided to leave the notes now?</p><p>Frisk had so many questions and a total of zero answers.</p><p>She paused when she heard the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway. She knew it was Asgore, but her paranoia was too great to race right to the door. Instead, she looked out the window and waited for the monster king to vacate his vehicle and walk over to the porch.</p><p>The moment the front door opened, she practically flew into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around his middle as he gasped in surprise. "Frisk! Are you alright? What happened?"</p><p>Frisk took a few seconds before gathering the will to respond, and even then, no words came out. Instead, she handed him the notes that Toriel had left on Frisk's bed.</p><p>"What?" He muttered, frowning as he gently took the letter from her, and began to read it. Frisk watched as his face paled in contrast to his white fur. "T-Tori..." He muttered. "Where is she?" He asked his adopted daughter.</p><p>"I don't know," Frisk said squeakily as she shook her head. "I went to sleep before I read it. And when I woke up... s-someone had been in her room. It's a mess."</p><p>Asgore's eyes seemed to light with fire as his hands began to shake. Not with terror or anguish, but with rage. "Stay here." He ordered. "I'll see to her room."</p><p>"I already did." Frisk replied, but Asgore was already stomping off.</p><p>She watched as Asgore ascended the stairs feeling really bad- she knew she wasn't responsible for whatever was going on, but it still pained her to have given him the news, not to mention she was feeling guilty. She'd been so angry earlier... what if she'd read the note sooner? Would she have been able to uncover Toriel's secret? Would the intruder have been too late? There were so many strange variables, and at the moment, Frisk was emotional, confused, and scared.</p><p>She heard Asgore open the door, and she knew exactly how he felt to see Toriel's room in ruins. It was heartbreaking, really. She heard the sound of him carefully stepping over piles of papers and other miscellaneous items. She knew he was looking at the loose floorboard.</p><p>Alas, nothing was beneath it.</p><p>Just as quickly as he'd stormed up the stairs to her room, he stomped back down, eyeing the corners of the house. "Come, Frisk. I'm taking you to stay the night with Sans and Papyrus."</p><p>Frisk only nodded as she followed Asgore closely out the door. The past 30 minutes had been so distressing, she was just tired of talking for the moment.</p><p>She needed to digest everything.</p><p>Frisk didn't even bother looking back. She didn't know if she could handle looking at the garden Toriel kept, or the house she'd spent so much time painting and decorating. She was worried that it would all become one painful memory like her old home. She didn't want that. She wanted to keep calling that place <em>home</em>.</p><p>She got into the passenger's seat of Asgore's car wordlessly.</p>
<hr/><p>The ride to Sans and Papyrus' house was quiet and tense. Asgore was fuming, but also clearly worried and paranoid, constantly checking his rearview mirror and letting out small worried grunts from the back of his throat.</p><p>When they arrived, Frisk noticed Papyrus' car was gone, and Sans was standing at the front door, watching them pull into the driveway.</p><p>"Sans will take care of you while I get to the bottom of this," Asgore said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "...I'm sorry."</p><p>Frisk only gave him a nod as she vacated the vehicle, and walked over to Sans. Despite his usual grin, she could tell he knew the severity of the situation.</p><p>"hey kiddo. pap is out with mettaton right now. but i told him you were comin' over, so he sent me this to show to you."</p><p>Sans showed her his phone screen, which displayed a picture of Papyrus grinning widely and giving a thumbs-up. Frisk gave a halfhearted smile.</p><p>Sans gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "come on inside. i'll get you some hot tea. sit on the couch and just try to relax, alright kid?" He directed her to the couch before shuffling off to the kitchen as Frisk sat down on the couch, her body slightly shaking uncontrollably.</p><p>After a few moments that seemed like hours, Sans walked back out into the living room, with two cups of hot tea in his hands. He offered one to Frisk, and she took a few moments before accepting it.</p><p>Sans sat down beside her, and that was that. He didn't push or pry her with questions, didn't continue to try and make her relax, just simply sat there with her in silence, something Frisk could really appreciate at the moment. She just needed time to relax on her own terms. Tonight's events, alongside fears Frisk already had in her subconscious... it had been traumatic, to say the least.</p><p>A few minutes of silence passed, though it wasn't awkward silence. It was comfortable. As much as Frisk enjoyed the quiet, she felt happy to have Sans around. Surprisingly, she was the one to break this silence.</p><p>"Can I use your phone?" She asked Sans in a somewhat steady voice.</p><p>It was already in his hand before she'd finished her sentence. He handed it to her silently, and she accepted it. Sans was rarely ever this quiet, and Frisk had only seen him like this just a couple of times over the years. That either meant he was scared, or the situation was deeper and even more serious than what it seemed on the surface. Or both. "Thank you." She muttered as she began dialing the first number on her mind.</p><p>She would have used her phone, but the mobile data had expired. She'd only been able to get ahold of Asgore with it thanks to a steady wifi back at the house.</p><p>The phone rang for a few seconds before the person on the other end answered. She could hear someone briefly clear their throat on the other end.</p><p>"Terrence?" Frisk said quietly.</p><p>"Hey, Frisk, me and Greg are on our way right now. So, I didn't know whether to get the blue party hats or-"</p><p>"There's, um... a change of plans," Frisk interrupted. "The party's cancelled. Can you guys come to Sans and Papyrus's house?"</p><p>There was a pause, likely Terrence taking in how rattled she sounded. "Yeah, I know where that is. We'll be there soon. Everything alright?"</p><p>"Not really, but I'd rather not tell you over the phone..."</p><p>"That's alright. We'll be there soon."</p><p>The line went dead as Frisk handed the device back to Sans, who accepted it, placing it back into one of his jacket pockets.</p><p>A few more minutes passed, Frisk taking the occasional sip of tea, but it was difficult to stomach. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Sans looked over. Frisk stood, approaching the door, twisting the knob and opening it for her friends.</p><p>Terrence and Greg immediately squeezed their way inside, both talking at once.</p><p>"Are you okay? Why's-"</p><p>"I'm like, actually super worried-"</p><p>"You look pale. Hi Sans-"</p><p>"-the party canceled? I thought-"</p><p>"-what's the problem? Was there-"</p><p>"Have you been crying? Oh Frisk..."</p><p>Frisk paused as they spoke, asking many questions. Some of which she didn't know the answers to herself, in fact. She looked at each of them, noticing how worried they looked. As they continued to ask questions, she moved forward, hugging Terrence tight. Both of them fell silent.</p><p>Terrence was stiff for a moment, before he slowly returned the hug. Greg glanced back to see his step-dad driving away.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Greg asked Frisk, but Terrence shook his head, mouthing 'not now' to the kid, who fell silent as he closed the door.</p><p>Greg looked over at Sans, who was looking at the three. His smile seemed more sincere than it had been just a few moments ago- but anyone could still tell something was wrong. Nonetheless... Terrence was right. They should probably wait for Frisk to compose herself.</p><p>Several more moments passed before Frisk let go of Terrence and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "...It came into the house tonight." She told the two boys shakily, who's eyes widened simultaneously as they paled. Terrence looked over at Greg, both of them sharing a look filled with worry, before they both looked back at Frisk.</p><p>"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Terrence asked hesitantly.</p><p>"...No. But I think..." she began, before she was interrupted by her tears again, which appeared to frustrate her, causing her to spill even more tears. She wiped them on her sleeve again. "Toriel..."</p><p>"Let's... sit down." Greg advised. There were no objections as Terrence led the emotionally distraught Frisk back to the couch. Neither boy had ever seen her anything like this. The only person in the room who had was Sans, but that was a secret between him and Frisk.</p><p>Once all four of them were seated, Frisk took a few deep breaths, trying not to get overwhelmed by the words she was trying to say. "Toriel. She's... missing. She left me a note, but I didn't read it in time. I was supposed to look under the floorboard under her b-bed, but I took a nap, and someone else went under her bed while I was sleeping. I d-don't know where she is."</p><p>Greg and Terrence didn't know what to say as the three humans and single monster sat on the couch in silence, broken only by an occasional sip of tea from Frisk, or by Terrence scratching the back of his blonde head.</p><p>"What was supposed to be under the floorboard?" Greg asked.</p><p>Frisk had thought long and hard about that herself. What exactly was under that floorboard? All Toriel had said was that there was evidence and files down there. But not the specifics. That was bothering her a lot.</p><p>"I'm not totally sure," Frisk said in a hushed tone. "Some kind of... files."</p><p>"Files?" Greg frowned, sharing another look with Terrence, who was equally as confused. "Um... should we cancel your party?" Terrence asked Frisk. "Probably best if we avoid a bunch of people heading over there right now."</p><p>Frisk gave a nod. She felt guilty, still, as if she'd inconvenienced everyone she'd invited. She knew she had bigger issues, but couldn't help but feel bad. Then again, she felt bad in general at the moment.</p><p>"Yeah. Best to cancel," she said quietly.</p><p>"I can handle that. I helped make the invitations, after all." Terrence gave Frisk a smile as he pulled out his phone and stood up, then walked into the kitchen to begin making calls.</p><p>"It doesn't make sense." Greg muttered. "Toriel is an elementary teacher. There's no way she could have attracted attention like this unless... it could have been a monster-related hate crime..."</p><p>Greg didn't look at Frisk until he realized she was totally silent, and when he did, he swallowed. "Sorry. Not a good thing to think about right now, I know..."</p><p>Frisk bit the inside of her cheek. As much as she hated the thought, it was actually likely that a hate crime was involved. Toriel had no personal enemies.</p><p>Frisk wasn't sure how much time passed. She sat there, drowning in her thoughts, trying to understand what was going through her head and what had transpired. Terrence returned and she immediately latched herself onto him. It was quiet for the next hour or so. Terrence sat there, allowing Frisk to hold onto him as Greg sat beside them, fiddling his thumbs, staring in deep concentration at a picture of a bone on the wall while Sans slept on the other end of the couch, a half-empty bottle of ketchup lying on his stomach, before he suddenly sat up and tucked the bottle into his jacket. "they're back." He informed them. As soon as that was said, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway could be heard.</p><p>Everyone stayed put as the car stopped moving. Judging from the growls of frustration outside, Frisk could tell Undyne was accompanying Asgore, who seemed quiet. Undyne's complaining continued until they reached the porch, where the fish monster took a deep breath before opening the door.</p><p>Frisk's eyes widened when she saw the state they were in. Undyne's armor was little more than scrap metal, dozens of claw marks running down on it. Asgore's outfit was also ruined, bruises on both sides of his face. Both looked miserable.</p><p>"Dad!" Frisk stood up quickly, eyes wide. "What happened!?"</p><p>"To the c-couch..." Asgore grunted to Undyne, who gave a nod as she supported the King toward the furniture as Sans got up, making room for him. Asgore was clutching his side, indicating a cracked rib. Frisk was in shock. What the hell could have done this to two very powerful monsters such as them?</p><p>Asgore sat, while Undyne appeared good enough to keep standing. She was covered in scratches, but there were no signs of broken bones or anything of the sort.</p><p>"We went over there," Undyne explained, gritting her teeth. "Someone else was outside, though."</p><p>Frisk, Greg, and Terrence all exchanged glances with each other. "One guy did this?" Greg asked in disbelief.</p><p>"Yeah! He was..." Undyne looked away, remembering what had happened. "He was fast. And... well, aggressive. Clearly. Came outta nowhere. Bastard..."</p><p>Frisk stared at Asgore, who was looking to the ground, his eyes watery and in shock. She could tell his emotions weren't focused on his wounds or this person they faced. Something else had happened.</p><p>"...and Toriel?" Frisk asked. Undyne pursed her lips and quickly looked to Asgore at this, who closed his eyes. "I... received a call… on the way back..." He stated, speaking very slowly, his breathing irregular.</p><p>Frisk could tell from the tone of Asgore's voice and the tears swimming in his eyes that he had bad news. But she had her fingers crossed. Please, let it be something good. Please, please, please...</p><p>"Toriel is... Tori… she's… n-no longer... with... us..." Asgore said at an agonizingly slow speed.</p><p>He opened his mouth to say more, but let out only a feeble croak and closed it as the tears began to run down his cheeks. "They found her body in an alleyway." Undyne explained solemnly. "Right before she... you know..."</p><p>"Turned to dust." Greg breathed.</p><p>Frisk stared at the ground. She'd already cried so much tonight, and the news that Toriel was just... gone... she was more in shock than anything.</p><p>With a depressed sigh, she sat on the edge of the couch, still staring down, eyes wide as her adoptive father wept beside her, muttering the name of his ex-wife as he did so, Undyne giving him occasional awkward pats on the back.</p><p>The one person in the room to be seemingly unphased was Sans, who stood by the window, leaning against the wall, watching the group with his usual grinning expression, though the smile was far less than genuine.</p><p>Frisk didn't know why this didn't affect her that much- well, actually, she knew exactly why. It was because Toriel had died before. She'd killed Toriel before. But that was back when Frisk was still capable of performing RESETs. This death... was permanent. Yet still, Frisk subconsciously wasn't convinced it was absolute... part of her thought Toriel would come back. There would be a second chance.</p><p>But there wasn't.</p></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. "Recovery"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the wake of Toriel's death, Frisk and Asgore attempt to cope.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>4 Years Ago...</strong>
</p>
<p>"Hey."</p>
<p>Frisk smiled as she crested the hill, coming to a stop near the mouth of a cave, which led to the sunken ruins of what was once the underground city of monsters, now collapsed due to the eruption of Mt. Ebott.</p>
<p>Two others were there already. A skeleton monster, several inches taller than her, and a flower donning a face beside him. Both held serious expressions, but tried to appear friendly as she arrived.</p>
<p>"heya." Sans replied with his usual greeting. "thanks for comin'."</p>
<p>Frisk's smile faltered. Sans and Flowey could never stand to be near one another, yet here they were... not to mention they were the only two with knowledge of her abilities. That meant this secret conversation Sans had called her to had something to do with her powers of determination. "What did you guys need me for?"</p>
<p>Flowey scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes. "You already figured that one out. We don't need to spell it out for you "</p>
<p>"look, we just..." Sans paused. "we've sacrificed a helluva lot to get here. this is the truest happy ending we've ever achieved, and..."</p>
<p>Frisk gulped. "And you think I might reset." She finished for him. "Might!? Ha!" Flowey laughed, before popping into the ground and reappearing at her feet, rising up to get eye-level with her. "You've always reset. Why is this time any different?"</p>
<p>She stared back at him, expression blank for several moments before she formulated her reply. "Because... even if I wanted to... I can't."</p>
<p>"can't? what do you mean you 'can't'?" Sans inquired curiously, frowning- or at least the grinning equivalent. "I mean what I said. My powers stopped working after we broke the barrier. I can't SAVE, or LOAD, and I definitely can't reset. This is the last timeline, whether we like it or not."</p>
<p>Silence befell the trio for several long moments, Flowey and Sans clearly processing this information.</p>
<p>"Maybe... someone else has a stronger determination now?" Flowey suggested, raising a brow. "Same thing happened to me shortly before you fell underground."</p>
<p>Sans shoved his hands into his pockets with a shrug. "nope." He stated. "only one of her souls can exist at a time. until she's gone, this is it." He paused, eyeing her. "you sure you can't access your save file?"</p>
<p>She gave him a nod, holding out her palm. A black, transparent, two-dimensional box appeared in front of her as Flowey slunk back to Sans.</p>
<p>The options SAVE and LOAD were present in the box, yet both were dull in color, and when she pressed on 'SAVE', simply nothing happened.</p>
<p>This seemed to satisfy the skeleton, who grinned widely. "cool. then that's that."</p>
<p>"Just like that?" Flowey spat. "There's something wrong here! It's not supposed to do that!"</p>
<p>"not my problem. the longer it doesn't work, the better." With that, he turned around and walked away.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Present Day</strong>
</p>
<p>She felt... cold.</p>
<p>Numb.</p>
<p>Afraid.</p>
<p>Alone...</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Why did she feel this way? Frisk had slaughtered her dear friends hundreds upon hundreds of times over in another life. In countless other lives. She'd turned Toriel to dust so many times without a thought, and now here...</p>
<p>It hurt.</p>
<p>More than she'd ever hurt before.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was the knowledge of her inability to RESET. Toriel wouldn't be coming back. Ever. No more experiments, no more non-lasting consequences. This was the final timeline and now Toriel was gone from it.</p>
<p>It had been a week since that night. Things had calmed down since then, but emotionally, Frisk just got worse. She'd been staying with Asgore, but neither could help each other out. They avoided each other sometimes, though that was mainly Frisk. Asgore was clearly trying his best to make her feel better, but every time he tried to talk to her, both of them wound up crying.</p>
<p>Now, here she was, standing in a black dress, Asgore to her right, Sans to her left. Asgore was dressed in a pressed black suit with a red tie. Meanwhile Sans, who was now nearly a foot shorter than her, wore a clean black jacket over a black t-shirt. Even his slippers were black.</p>
<p>Nobody spoke a word. The only sounds were breathing, sobs, and the occasional cough.</p>
<p>Other friends of Toriel stood or sat in silence around the room. Papyrus and Mettaton, who'd cancelled their show to attend, Undyne, Alphys who'd flown in from Clearasia once she'd heard the news, Grillby, Fuku, Muffet, Terrence, Gregory, among many other monsters, as well as humans whose lives Toriel had touched. Namely coworkers and parents of children that she'd taught.</p>
<p>Nobody had been invited to give a speech- perhaps everyone had assumed that Asgore or Frisk or maybe even Sans would give a speech about Toriel. But Asgore and Frisk were obviously far too emotional, and Sans simply wasn't in the mood. Not that anybody could blame them.</p>
<p>Sans was likely the only person who knew what Frisk knew. He knew about RESETs, and while unclear, there was quite a bit of evidence that he retained his knowledge of certain timelines. He knew Frisk had killed Toriel before. But he'd never let it get to him all too much- the kid would always reset eventually, right?</p>
<p>Now however, things were far different. RESETs were off the table. With Toriel mysteriously killed, the monsters had become reserved the last week. A feeling of unease was among them all, even Sans.</p>
<p>Nobody was sure what would come next, but there was something obvious. Toriel's murder hadn't been random. With whatever she was involved in, as well as her influence with monsterkind, this blow was decisive and articulate.</p>
<p>Nobody had really felt like talking about the murder. Investigators and police had thoroughly talked to Frisk and all her friends already, but the simple truth was that they had little to no information on what had happened. Even Frisk was completely clueless. She didn't know where, when, why, or how Toriel had been killed. And every time she thought about it... well, she cried a small river.</p>
<p>It's funny, having done the things she'd done, to have once been heartless and cruel… now to be as emotionally vulnerable as she was. Frisk could only assume it was because she'd finally chosen the life she wanted, and she'd never messed with timelines after that. Not like she could anymore, anyway.</p>
<p>She'd run the scenario through her head a million times. Toriel was coming home from the grocery store, and something for some reason attracted her to an alley. She wandered down it and a group of men attacked her. Beat her. Killed her...</p>
<p>That's how Frisk thought it went down, at least.</p>
<p>Asgore, on the other hand, thought it was something far more sinister. He'd never speak of it aloud, but he suspected that Toriel's murder had been an elaborate scheme by some horrible person who wasn't fond of monsters. All he knew was that Toriel had been killed in an alleyway. They hadn't given him- or anyone -any more detail than that.</p>
<p>The VCPD didn't seem all that interested in investigating it, leaving Undyne to lead the investigation, but even after a week she'd turned up nothing. Nothing except a hard drive. One that both she and Asgore had recovered when they'd returned to Toriel's house, and were attacked by that vicious… thing… in the dark. The drive had been the only thing left, hidden deep within the floor, and their attacker wanted it greatly, though had failed to retrieve it. Barely.<br/>Before the call about Toriel's fate had arrived, Asgore had Undyne promise him to keep the drive safe and hidden until they were both ready to view it. She had agreed.</p>
<p>He knew that Toriel was involved with something dark. His and Undyne's encounter with the strange being last week made that much known. That thing wasn't the killer, however. Toriel had been on the other side of town when she'd been killed. The timing didn't match.</p>
<p>Eventually, the service ended on a solemn note. Asgore led Frisk out of the church, the same church Toriel had been attending with Frisk for the last four years. Asgore usually tried to come as well, but with his line of work, that made it a bit hard.</p>
<p>Most of the people left, but the majority of Frisk's close friends stuck around a bit longer. She appreciated their company, even if nobody was talking.</p>
<p>The last week, despite her pain, Frisk had found herself leaning more and more on Terrence for support, who seemed happy to help. Gregory was quickly becoming a third wheel to their party, much like a couple years ago when Frisk and Terrence had briefly dated before mutually breaking it off.</p>
<p>Gregory didn't have any problems with Terrence and Frisk being close. Heck, his two friends being like that was actually pretty cool. But it was what happened as a result that kind of bothered him. They were his only friends, and if they started hanging out without him, he... didn't have anyone. He tried not to feel too awkward about it.</p>
<p>Asgore led Frisk to his truck, Terrence and Gregory saying a quiet goodbye to the girl before departing. She only nodded in reply, climbing into the passenger seat as Asgore started the engine.</p>
<p>"...I need to return to work tomorrow." He told her.</p>
<p>Frisk gave a quiet nod, swallowing dryly. She could understand that, but it was going to be rather difficult being home alone. Not to mention, this reminded her that she'd have to return to school soon, something she was not looking forward to in the slightest.</p>
<p>"Is there anything you need?" Asgore asked her, his voice a bit hoarse. She could tell he was trying his best to remain strong and supportive, for her sake. Despite everything he'd done, Asgore was one of the best people she'd ever met. Why had Toriel never allowed him back in? He clearly loved her, even after death. Why had she been so selfish?</p>
<p>Frisk felt a pang of guilt at the thought. Of being angry at her adopted mother.</p>
<p>It wasn't fun to think about, but Toriel had done a really good job at holding a grudge against Asgore over the years. Over one foolish mistake he'd made many years ago. It made her think- if she'd given him another chance, and let him back into the home... would things be different today? Would she be alive, maybe? It was wishful thinking, and she was certain Asgore had probably wondered the same thing. He'd tried so desperately the last four years to regain her affection, and for what?</p>
<p>"I love you, dad." Frisk told Asgore, her voice quiet.</p>
<p>Asgore paused, eyes widening in surprise as she said that. He'd called her dad before, but that sentence felt so... sincere. In that moment, he felt a closeness to her that he hadn't felt since Chara and Asriel.</p>
<p>"I love you too, Frisk," Asgore said shakily as he relaxed a bit.</p>
<hr/>
<p>They rode in silence all the way back to Asgore's home, which doubled as a greenhouse, as about half the home was just chalk full of various flowers. Despite not having much free time, Asgore certainly took his hobby seriously. Even the past week he never failed to take care of them.</p>
<p>Neither of them spoke a word as they vacated the car, Frisk making her way inside while Asgore decided to stay outside and tend to his flowers for a while. Frisk's new bedroom was... subject to change, needless to say. It wasn't fully decorated just yet. Not that she had time for decorating. The walls were decorated with old posters she'd put up years ago. She hadn't stayed over here very often, but Asgore had always insisted she personalize her room as much as she liked. It wasn't as unique as her room at Toriel's, but it was still a piece of home for her. The posters adorning her walls mostly consisted of Mettaton, but some were of movies that she'd taken a liking to over the years, like 'The Eradicator' starring Arvold Schwarzegebber. It was old, but a classic.<br/>Lately however, for obvious reasons, Frisk didn't feel much like updating her decorations. This week felt so long, yet so fast, it was hard to decipher it down the middle. Everything was a blur, but at such a slow pace.</p>
<p>All she really wanted to do was lie down and get some sleep.</p>
<p>Frisk looked over at her bed. Asgore had given her some spare bedsheets, as she'd always normally just bring her bedding from Toriel's, but these ones were far too heavy and uncomfortable. She missed her old bed- but this one would have to do, for now. She climbed under the covers, closing her eyes.</p>
<p>It felt like no time had passed at all when she heard the rap of knuckles lightly against her door. "Frisk?" Asgore's deep voice called quietly to her. "I've made dinner. I know you may not feel like it, but you've barely eaten all week. You need something, dear."</p>
<p>Frisk took a deep breath. She wasn't in the mood to eat- lately, everything tasted bland, and it was hard to swallow anything. She wasn't trying to starve herself or anything, but she seldom felt the need to eat.</p>
<p>"I'll be out in a few minutes," she assured Asgore, who seemed satisfied with that, and returned to the kitchen.</p>
<p>The girl laid there for another minute or so, staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind wandering. She wondered what Asgore and Undyne had done with that hard drive... Toriel had left it for her, but why? And why couldn't Frisk get it? She'd asked Asgore about it, but he avoided the topic. All she knew about it was that the two monsters had recovered it before being attacked.</p>
<p>She decided to slide out of bed and head toward the kitchen before Asgore came back. The last thing she wanted was to stress him out more than he already was. When she arrived in the kitchen, she found a plate consisting of chicken nuggets, sourdough bread, cherry tomatoes, and some sliced cucumbers. Asgore was washing some dishes when she arrived.</p>
<p>He noticed her, and gave her a gentle smile. "Good evening, my child. How did you rest?" He asked, drying off his hands.</p>
<p>"Pretty well," Frisk lied. Under normal circumstances, a three hour nap would have felt great, but right now, she barely felt rested. She silently wondered whether this constant state of exhaustion, depression, and emptiness would ever leave as she bit into a cucumber.</p>
<p>Asgore seemed to see right through her lie, but didn't press as he joined her at the table, sitting down in a reinforced metal chair. "You know, Frisk... I've done some thinking lately. About how to cope with this."</p>
<p>Frisk continued chewing for what seemed like forever, until she finally let the food go down her throat. It seemed to take its time getting down, and she looked up at him.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"I just thought... about what Tori would want." He told her. "She wouldn't want us moping about like lost puppies, she would want us to stay our feet, remain headstrong, and do the best by her memory." He smiled. "I hate seeing you like this Frisk. I know she would too. Why don't you come with me to work tomorrow? I know some volunteer work helping people that I think you may enjoy."</p>
<p>Frisk blinked. That wasn't what she'd been expecting, but... it actually didn't sound too terrible. Having a reason to get out of bed in the morning- other than sitting at a desk zoning out- might be a refreshing change of pace. Slowly, she replied with a nod, making Asgore smile brightly. "Thank you, Frisk. You'll enjoy yourself, I'm sure of it." Finished, he stood, and returned to the dishes.</p>
<p>"Yeah... maybe," Frisk shrugged, being more optimistic than usual, but that wasn't saying much. She continued to eat, slowly, managing to get down about three quarters of the food before feeling full...ish.</p>
<p>Recognizing this, Asgore took her plate and excused her from the table. She trudged her way back up to her room, and got back into bed when she felt a vibration under her pillow. A text message, probably from Terrence.</p>
<p>Frisk had been using the phone a lot more than usual, lately, which was ironic, considering she was also the most introverted she'd ever been the past week. It was mostly just her texting Terrence and receiving the occasional supportive message from one of her other friends. She checked the message.</p>
<p>It was from Terrence.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Hey Frisk. Just checking up to see how you're doing. Missin' you!'</em>
</p>
<p>She stared at the message for a little while, before tapping in a reply.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Hey. I'm doing okay, just took a short nap. Thanks for checking, how are you?'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'You know. The usual. Not a lot going on at school.'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'Have you been paying attention?'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'I've been trying, but it's boring. I think even Greg nearly fell asleep after a few of the recent lectures.'</em>
</p>
<p>Frisk sighed, and leaned back. <em>'I'm helping at Obatech tomorrow. Asgore wanted me to. Come see me?'</em></p>
<p>
  <em>'Yeah, sure, I'll be there. Want me to bring you anything?'</em>
</p>
<p>She thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. She considered Gregory for a moment, but vetoed this as well. <em>'No.'</em></p>
<p>
  <em>'Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Wish I could chat longer, but there's some stuff going on that I'm not allowed to skip.'</em>
</p>
<p><em>'See ya.'</em> Frisk typed.</p>
<p><em>'See ya.'</em> Was the response. She typed in something else. <em>'I love y'</em> But stopped, staring at the unfinished message, before deleting it and sliding the phone back under her pillow.</p>
<p>It was somewhat late now, about 8 PM. Frisk groaned, knowing that after her nap, it would be difficult to fall asleep. Or, so she thought. Apparently, her depressed drowsiness was stronger than she thought, and she already felt her eyelids growing heavy.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Frisk? Are you up yet? We need to go soon."</p>
<p>She was stirred awake by her adopted father once again, softly rapping his knuckles on the door. Frisk blinked groggily, looking over at her alarm clock and sitting up. It was now 7:50 AM- she was shocked. Nearly twelve hours of sleep, plus her nap yesterday, and she still felt groggy. Silently hoping her sleep schedule would return to normal soon, she got out of bed. "Morning." She greeted Asgore through the door as she sat up, her hair a frizzy tangled mess.</p>
<p>Asgore let out a satisfied grunt. "Good morning. I'll be down in the kitchen if you need me!"</p>
<p>"What time do we leave?" Frisk called down as she stripped down, having forgotten to change into her sleepwear the previous night.</p>
<p>"8:30!" Asgore called back as Frisk selected a new sweater from her wardrobe. Her clothing options here at Asgore's weren't exactly new. Most of her stuff still sat over at Toriel's, though they were assured by Undyne they'd be allowed to get it soon. So most of her options were in a similar style to what she used to wear. Striped sweaters. Frisk sorted through the options of sweaters that would barely fit her, flitting past several. Purple and pink, blue and purple, green and yellow, red and blue… she came to a stop at an orange one with blue stripes, deciding it was good enough. She slid the sweater over her head, accidentally almost putting her face through one of the armholes- a mistake even the greatest of sweater enthusiasts suffered now and again. After putting on a pair of shorts and her shoes, she was ready to go, and went downstairs to meet Asgore.</p>
<p>As per usual, he'd cooked breakfast, which now sat on the table waiting for Frisk. Bacon, hashbrowns and eggs, all still steaming hot as Asgore hummed pleasantly. It seemed he'd gotten better after his revelation last night. He'd been given motivation. That motivation being living the best he could in memory and honor of Toriel. It was a sweet sentiment, and displayed just how deeply Asgore still loved her despite everything.</p>
<p>"Thank you for making breakfast," Frisk said as she sat down in front of her plate. Asgore gave a nod as he continued to hum, reading a newspaper article about the stock markets and car battery prices. Frisk began to eat, trying not to rush too much, but she felt hurried due to how long she'd slept.</p>
<p>Asgore was dressed in his work clothes, which happened to be a very fancy black business suit. The ex-king was doing mightily well for himself, but despite all the wealth, he didn't opt to live in a bigger home, or drive fancy cars. Frisk had a feeling he was saving up a large sum of money for her college and whatnot. "Once you finish, we'll be ready to go. Say, we might even get there early. Do you drink coffee?" Asgore asked. Frisk shrugged. "Sometimes."</p>
<p>Asgore shrugged back. "If you'd like, we can get you some on the way. Something tells me you're still a bit tired."</p>
<p>Frisk let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. "Thanks." She replied as she began to eat, and for once this past week, she managed to gulp it all down.</p>
<p>After Frisk cleared her plate, Asgore stood up, fiddling with his car keys a bit before he managed to get a good grip. He had yet to get a pair that was better suited for his massive hands. "Well, it's time to go!" He announced, bouncing over to the door and opening it for Frisk.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Asgore worked in a large office building that extended into the sky. Not the tallest building in Voxis, but close to it. People entered and exited the building regularly as Frisk and Asgore approached it, turning many heads. A lot of people still weren't accustomed to watching the massive form of Asgore waltzing into work, even after four years.</p>
<p>They entered, and Asgore began pointing people he knew out to Frisk, who took a sip from the lidded cup of coffee Asgore had insisted on getting her. It was helping with her grogginess, admittedly. She was considering drinking it more often. She tried to pay attention to everything Asgore was saying as best she could.</p>
<p>He pointed out a Lawrence Hawshawk in accounting, a Debora Gears also in accounting, a Patrick Monagy who was… also in accounting. Mostly people in accounting.</p>
<p>They then stopped as a tall man with short, slicked back blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes behind a pair of smart glasses stopped in front of them, wearing a navy blue business suit, hands held behind his back. Asgore smiled at him. "And this, Frisk, is my boss. Mr. Obaseki. He's been assisting me in my mayoral campaign."</p>
<p>Mr. Obaseki cast a steely gaze down upon Frisk, who got a strange internal feeling, like she was being watched from behind… She had to force herself not to avert her gaze, Mr. Obaseki's stare nearly bringing sweat to her forehead. Frisk slowly extended her hand to the much taller man.</p>
<p>"Hi. My name is Frisk Dreemurr. It's nice to meet you."</p>
<p>"The pleasure is all mine." He replied, and smiled. The feeling of unease suddenly evaporated, and Frisk had no idea why. They shook hands, before he looked at Asgore. "I've compiled a list of documents on your desk, and set up a meeting with the press this afternoon." Asgore nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Obaseki, it's much appreciated. I'll be sure to take a look at those documents at my earliest convenience."</p>
<p>Mr. Obaseki gave Asgore a smile. Frisk could see that he stood at about the same height as the monster king- something very few people could say. "I'll be in my office if you need me." Mr. Obaseki told Asgore, before walking past the two.</p>
<p>"Very good man there. He's helped me selflessly these last four years." Asgore told Frisk fondly. Clearly he admired Obaseki and respected him. With that, he led Frisk to the elevators. "How come you've never mentioned him to me before?" Frisk asked curiously as they got on. Asgore thought for a moment. "Well... I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because this is the most time we've spent together. But, to be fair, who'd you think my boss was going to be at Obatech than Obaseki himself?"</p>
<p>Frisk hadn't thought about that, but Asgore was right. She'd only spent some weekends with him, and never went to work with him. He never really ever mentioned work stuff at home anyway. This was a whole side to Asgore's life that was new to her.</p>
<p>When the elevator stopped, Frisk and Asgore got off. She could see at the end of the hallway, the office door was labeled 'Dreemurr.' It also had a framed photograph of Asgore posing cheesily for the camera hung up, making her smirk when she saw it. Asgore noticed this, and blushed slightly with a chuckle of embarrassment. "I'm not as photogenic as I used to be." He told her, sticking a key into the doorknob, twisting, and opening the door.</p>
<p>When Frisk entered the office, her first thought was that Asgore's green thumb wasn't something he kept just at home. Every surface had at least one potted plant of some kind- mostly cacti and buttercups.</p>
<p>"Make yourself comfortable." Asgore offered her. "Your job won't begin for about another thirty minutes or so."</p>
<p>"What exactly is my job?" Frisk asked as she sat in the chair across from Asgore's. "Oh! Also, I... forgot to tell you, but... I kind of invited a friend, if that's okay."</p>
<p>"Terrence, I presume." Asgore smirked, a twinkle in his eye. Frisk frowned. "How did you-"</p>
<p>"Please, Frisk. You're smitten for that boy and he for you. I may not involve myself, but I <em>do </em>notice some things."</p>
<p>Frisk could feel her cheeks turn as red as spaghetti sauce. "No, it's not like that," she stated defensively. "We're just friends. I mean, we've dated, but we broke up."</p>
<p>Asgore smiled. "Yes, yes, my mistake. Anyways, you asked about your job."</p>
<p>Frisk nodded eagerly, glad to be off the topic so quickly. "Yes."</p>
<p>"You'll be assisting on the base floor today. We've organized a homeless support program. There, they provide clothes, food, and books for the homeless of Voxis. Your job is to help the boss down there with anything she requires. She's a very kind lady named Ms. Juniper."</p>
<p>"So I'll be... like an assistant?" Frisk asked, tilting her head to the side. "Yes, precisely. You'll be acting as Ms. Juniper's assistant for the day. And goodness, does she need it. Some of her workers are quite the slackers, you see."</p>
<p>Frisk smiled. "Sounds fun," she said, hiding her disappointment that she wouldn't be working with Asgore today, but this would be interesting too. "I'm glad you think so." Asgore smiled, and grabbed a stack of folders on his desk as he sat down in a very large seat. "Now, let's see here..."</p>
<p>He began to flip through the folders, smiling as he did. "My, this is grand information... Mr. Obaseki never fails to amaze me," he said to Frisk.</p>
<p>She felt her phone buzz, and pulled it out, seeing a notification. A text from Terrence. Before she even had a chance to open it, Asgore glanced at her. "I approve of him, you know."</p>
<p>"How did you even know it was..." Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow. Asgore chuckled. "You and that boy are always texting. I find it endearing. I'd just like you to know that I think he's a good lad." Frisk felt her face flush once again. "Well... just a friend, got it?"</p>
<p>Asgore smiled. "Wouldn't think of it any differently." He winked.</p>
<p><em>'On my way!'</em> The text read.</p>
<p>Frisk smiled when she read it, and quickly typed up a reply.</p>
<p>'<em>Okay, can't wait!'</em></p>
<p>She blinked, noticing that it was the most upbeat thing she'd said to anyone all week. Well, typed, really. Asgore was right, this job thing was helping… or maybe it was just talking with Terrence. No. She couldn't admit that. Terrence seemed to notice her upbeat attitude as well, his next reply reading; <em>'Well someone's excited. Asgore recount the story of how he was named King Fluffybuns again?'</em></p>
<p>Frisk snorted as she recalled the story he was referring to. She tried to ignore Asgore's hums of satisfaction as she responded.</p>
<p>'<em>No, I wish! He won't tell it anymore because he's embarrassed, lol.'</em></p>
<p>
  <em>'Good thing we got Grayson then!'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'Who?'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'Oh I meant Gerson. That guy with the stories.'</em>
</p>
<p>'<em>Or Undyne. I'm sure you remember how her version of the story goes.'</em></p>
<p>
  <em>'A little more scary, but yeah, lol'</em>
</p>
<p>'<em>That's Undyne for you. You're lucky she didn't invite you to her training sessions.'</em></p>
<p>
  <em>'Well, I actually sort of want to attend those, so...'</em>
</p>
<p>Frisk smirked. <em>'You poor, clueless man.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Aw, but wouldn't it be cool? I mean, I've gone to the gym and all, but what if one day I'm as strong as Undyne from training with her? That would be the best.'</em></p>
<p>Frisk shook her head, still smiling, before Asgore cleared his throat. She looked up at him angrily. "I'm not-" She began. "It's time." He smiled knowingly back. "Time? Time for what?" Frisk asked, blinking unawarely, before remembering. "Oh. Ms. Juniper?"</p>
<p>Still smiling, Asgore nodded. She shook her head at him in annoyance, but quickly found she was only acting as such because she knew he was right. "Dad, just please promise me you won't say those kinds of things when he gets here," Frisk pleaded. Asgore scoffed. "I can poke fun, but I'd never embarrass you like that, dear."</p>
<p>She then smiled at him. "Thanks dad. When will I know when I'm done?"</p>
<p>"When I retrieve you. Have fun!" He waved to her as she made her way to the door.</p>
<p>Frisk suddenly remembered that she had no directions to get to Ms. Juniper, but her thoughts were interrupted when she nearly bumped into an elderly woman standing in the hallway. Her name tag read 'Ms. Juniper.' How convenient. She was shorter than Frisk, with thin silver hair pulled back into a tight bun and a large pair of thick glasses. "Pardon me young lady." Juniper smiled, but Frisk didn't move, at least not at first. "Sorry to bother you, Ms. Juniper." She replied. "Asgore sent me to help you."</p>
<p>"That large burly fellow with those lovely arms? Oh, yes, I remember."</p>
<p>"My name is Frisk Dreemurr," She introduced herself, electing to ignore the comment on Asgore's arms. Ms. Juniper extended a hand, and Frisk shook it, ignoring the saggy, wrinkly feeling of the woman's cold fingers.</p>
<p>"Well, come on then." Juniper said, moving past Frisk. "I was just on my way down to the kitchens. You can help me out there."</p>
<p>"Of course. I hope you don't mind, but a friend of mine will be coming to help too."</p>
<p>"Oh, yes, yes, lovely, the more the merrier, that's what I always say!" Juniper nodded as she walked, her heels clicking against the ground.</p>
<p>They made their way to the elevator and took it down to the first floor. Ms. Juniper led her away from the main lobby to the back, where a glass wall with a glass door separated the building from the homeless relief center. "Asgore tells me you're a bit unlucky when it comes to staff," Frisk said, trying to make conversation.</p>
<p>"...Well, my team just doesn't take things as seriously as they should. It's a real shame, too. Nobody ever applies, so I can't fire them. Understaffing is bound to get my center... repurposed."</p>
<p>That got Frisk thinking. Maybe she could start working here part time? It could get Frisk introduced to the working world and this seemed like an environment she could trust. Not to mention she'd be helping people.</p>
<p>"Now, your job will be to assist me, yes?" Ms. Juniper asked. Frisk nodded. "Wonderful, wonderful. Oh, and don't be afraid to be a bit pushy to the staff. They could stand to be disciplined a bit, eh?" she gave Frisk a playful nudge, who chuckled at that. She wasn't the bossy type in any way, but if she had permission... she could stand to take a little charge. From the sounds of it, this poor old lady was left with the most work compared to her employees.</p>
<p>"Now then, without further adieu, I'll give you what we call 'the grand tour,'" she grinned, and lead Frisk through the glass door into the homeless relief center. As of right now, it seemed to be just opening, so there weren't many people inside other than the staff.</p>
<p>The layout was simple enough. The large area past the entrance was the lounge. Tables were set up all along it. Past that was the kitchen, where cooks were preparing a meal fit for a king.</p>
<p>"Wow, the food looks really good," Frisk commented. Ms. Juniper gave a toothy smile.</p>
<p>"Yes, I like to make sure to give the people a meal they'll remember. After all, this isn't the homeless relief center without reason."</p>
<p>"So... what do you do? Do you supervise, or do you help cook, or...?" Frisk asked curiously, wondering what she'd be assisting with for the day. "Well, with the usual band of helpers I get, I'm required to manage all areas of the center." Juniper explained. Food preparation, food distribution, folding laundry, aiding the sick, you name it."</p>
<p>"Now, to start off, you and I are going to deal with the laundry," Ms. Juniper told Frisk. "Fold in the morning, load up at night. Don't worry, you won't have to touch any dirty laundry," she assured the younger girl, before leading her down a hallway to a glass door labeled 'laundry room.'</p>
<hr/>
<p>Nearly thirty minutes later, Frisk looked up from the shirt she was folding, peering out of the door in time to see a confused Terrence walking into the center, looking about, searching for her. Ms. Juniper seemed to notice this as well, raising an eyebrow. "Now, he certainly doesn't look homeless..."</p>
<p>"Oh, no, that's just my friend. Mind if I go say hi to him?" Frisk asked. Ms. Juniper waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, go ahead."</p>
<p>Frisk thanked Ms. Juniper, and hurried out of the room, running up to the unsuspecting Terrence before he was tackle-hugged to the ground with a yelp of surprise and a hint of fear. He blinked a few times, looking down at the girl hugging him. He hadn't seen her this excited in a long time.</p>
<p>"Sheesh, Frisk, you should consider football with a tackle like that," he groaned with an added chuckle. "It's nice to see you too."</p>
<p>She let him go, climbing to her feet and offering him a hand, which he took. "Sorry." She apologized, cheeks flushing with color. "I just... I feel <em>really </em>good right now, you know?"</p>
<p>"Nah, don't apologize, it's cool to see you so happy. I just wasn't expecting it," Terrence said, smiling, brushing himself off a bit. "I'm glad you came. Can I ask what took you so long?" She asked. His face flushed this time, though for a different reason as he rubbed the back of his head. "I... just decided to take the scenic route, that's all."</p>
<p>He was a terrible liar, but Frisk decided not to press. It felt strange- as if this was the first time she'd seen him in weeks. Most likely because she was finally in a great mood, like usual.</p>
<p>"Sorry. I know a homeless relief center isn't the 'coolest' place to hang out," Frisk gave a small smile. "It'll be fun, as long as you're around," Terrence assured her with a shrug, before blinking. "Okay, that sounded <em>really </em>cheesy... but it's true."</p>
<p>"I thought it was cute." Frisk teased, staring at him. She quickly realized how creepy that probably was, and diverted her gaze, clearing her throat. "Um... want me to give you the 'grand tour'?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, sure," Terrence nodded. Frisk hesitated, debating whether to grab his hand before leading him around the place. Making her decision, she quickly took his hand in hers and began to lead him, hoping he wouldn't mention it.</p>
<p>To her relief and also surprise, he mentioned nothing of the hand-holding, his hand only holding hers right back opposed to hanging around like a dead fish.</p>
<p>"So, uh... that over there is the kitchen," Frisk told him, pointing over at the chefs who were still preparing the food. "And over there is the laundry room, where I started folding about half an hour ago," she added, pointing down the hallway toward the glass door. "Oh." Terrence nodded. When Frisk didn't continue, he decided to ask a question. "Mind if I help you out then?"</p>
<p>"Of course not. Ms. Juniper said 'the more the merrier,'" Frisk smiled, and led him down the hall to the glass door. When she opened it, they were greeted with the many piles of neatly folded laundry that Frisk and Ms. Juniper had already completed, next to a few piles of unfolded laundry, which were significantly smaller.</p>
<p>They quickly got to work after Terrence had been introduced to Ms. Juniper, Frisk showing him the ropes of what the old woman had taught her, and they were breezing through the clothes, finished with the rest in as little as fifteen minutes.</p>
<p>Ms. Juniper marked off a few things on a clipboard once they were finished, then looked at them. "Excellent. That was less than half the time it usually takes me," she told them, giving a toothy grin. "Now, we have extra time for cleaning duty."</p>
<p>And for the next few hours, they worked, doing various chores around the kitchen. When the food was finished, they helped distribute it, helped do the dishes after, helped sweep, mop, and vacuum, and assist the disabled.</p>
<p>"Hello, Ms. Juniper," Asgore greeted the older woman as he approached after winding his way inside to collect the two teens. "Frisk wasn't too much trouble, was she?" He joked. "Oh, she was a delight. You should bring her in more often!" Ms. Juniper smiled widely. "Maybe some weekends." The monster replied heartily. "She still has school, after all."</p>
<p>Frisk led Terrence out of the kitchen (much to the boy's dismay, as he'd discovered a new affinity for shrimp and was indulging in leftovers), approaching Asgore.</p>
<p>"Ah, Frisk, did you have fun?" Asgore asked, and she could tell he was holding back a cheesy remark regarding her and Terrence, who gave the king a friendly smile as a form of greeting.</p>
<p>"You know what? I did." Frisk replied, electing to ignore Asgore's cheeky grin. "Terrence helped too."</p>
<p>"Good. It's my lunch break, so why don't we all... go get some food? My treat."</p>
<p>"Sounds fun," Frisk smiled. "Do you have a place in mind?"</p>
<p>"Actually, there's a nice place that opened just across the street a few weeks ago," Asgore nodded. "I forget the name, but it's said to be five-star quality."</p>
<p>"How about Grillby's?" Terrence blurted out, half-distracted. "Terrence!" Frisk slugged his arm as Asgore chuckled. "Less money to spend also works with me." He thought for a few moments, before smiling. "Actually, Grillby's <em>is </em>a good idea. It's not too far from here, either. And I know you and your friends are 'regulars' there, Frisk."</p>
<p>"Well... sort of. We go there often, I suppose," Frisk shrugged. "I don't know if Grillby considers us Sans-tier regulars."</p>
<p>"I wish." Terrence grinned as the group left, Ms. Juniper thanking Frisk and Terrence. They made their way back out of Obatech Industries and to the parking lot where Asgore's car was parked in a 'VIP' spot, right in front of the building, so the walk to it was brief. When they reached it, Asgore opened the backseat door for Frisk and Terrence, not even bothering with hiding his sly smirk as Frisk got in, followed by Terrence.</p>
<p>Once the door closed, Terrence looked at Frisk in confusion. "Why is Asgore staring at you like that?" He asked. "Are you guys like, plotting my death or something?"</p>
<p>"No, nothing like that," Frisk giggled. "Although, I think he might have <em>something </em>planned..."</p>
<p>Asgore climbed into the front seat, humming a tune at a low volume as he started up the car.</p>
<hr/>
<p>As they made their way to Grillby's, Terrence showed Frisk a few new songs he'd downloaded onto his crappy, outdated phone. One thing the two of them shared was a taste in music. That among many other things. Frisk wished she'd thought to bring headphones as they listened. The speaker quality wasn't the best, but she was still able to enjoy the music for the most part.</p>
<p>Eventually, they arrived at Grillby's. Or at least in a nearby public parking lot, as Grillby's didn't have its own. Asgore smiled as Frisk and Terrence got out of the car. The two waited for him to get out as well, but instead, he rolled down the window.</p>
<p>"I'll be back to pick you two up soon," he told them. Frisk blinked.</p>
<p>"You're not coming with?" she asked blankly, before realizing he must have planned this.</p>
<p>"Frisk." He gave her a fake frown. "Why would I be there to interrupt your date? Have fun, dear."</p>
<p>The window rolled back up.</p>
<p>Frisk knew her face was red, and there was nothing she could do about it. Terrence seemed to notice this, and also seemed confused.</p>
<p>"You didn't tell me this was a date," he said, but didn't sound upset.</p>
<p>"It..." She pursed her lips, staring as Asgore's truck pulled out of the parking lot. "It wasn't, originally." She answered before turning to him. "Sorry, I didn't know this would happen."</p>
<p>Terrence shook his head. "I don't mind. If you're cool with this being a 'date,' then so am I," he said. Her blush only intensified as she stood there awkwardly for a few moments, entirely uncertain of how to react. This left Terrence to take the initiative, though he was just as awkward. "Alright, uh... come on, then." He nodded his head to Grillby's across the street.</p>
<p>When they entered the restaurant, it was just as Frisk had expected. A variety of humans and monsters occupied the tables and booths around the establishment. Grillby was behind the bar, polishing a glass, until he noticed the two humans as they sat at one of the booths and gave the girl a nod.</p>
<p>Usually, Grillby would be the one to take their order, but today, it was none other than his daughter, Fuku. She walked up to their booth in her waitress outfit, which was a lot different from the casual clothes she usually wore at school that they were used to. "Hi, Frisk! Terrence." She greeted with a smile, a clipboard in her right hand, pen in her left. "What can I get for you guys?"</p>
<p>Frisk didn't bother looking at the menu, as she already knew what she was getting. "I'll just have the burger and a lemonade." Fuku nodded, writing it down on the clipboard before turning to Terrence. "I'll just uh... have the same thing," he said. Fuku wrote this down as well, before taking their menus.</p>
<p>"Alright, I'll have those right out for you!" she told them, before turning and disappearing into the kitchen. Frisk silently wondered why Grillby and his daughter had a problem with water, but not lemonade.</p>
<p>The air was a bit awkward between Frisk and Terrence. Mostly due to the knowledge that this was a date, and not hanging out as friends. They could always just make it so, but both had pretty much accepted that this was an unforeseen, unexpected date.</p>
<p>They hadn't had one of these for over a year, and Frisk found herself wondering other things. Like, had it been a mistake breaking up with Terrence before? They obviously still liked each other and got along well enough. Before, during, and after the last relationship.</p>
<p>After a couple more minutes of both of them wanting to say something but struggling to find the words, Terrence piped up. "Do you remember the last time we did this?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Went to Grillby's?" Frisk replied, immediately hating her response, knowing that's not what he'd meant. "No, went on a 'date.' It was actually the same night we decided to break up, but before that, we went to..."</p>
<p>"Grillby's," Frisk recalled.</p>
<p>"...Huh. I guess we did go to Grillby's," Terrence nodded.</p>
<p>"We always go to Grillby's." Frisk smiled, shaking her head. "I mean, I love eating here a lot, so I'm not complaining."</p>
<p>"You'll never hear me complain about Grillby's." Terrence replied. "This place is the bomb."</p>
<p>"Even though Grillby doesn't like you that much," Frisk said, still smiling. "Yeah, and I'll never understand why. You know what? It's probably because I asked him for water the first time I came here. Bet he'll never forget that."</p>
<p>"Probably." Frisk giggled. "Pretty soon Fuku will be taking over here if Grillby gets his way though." She paused. "Maybe we can hook her up with Greg."</p>
<p>"What? Why?" Terrence grinned stupidly. "Because Greg clearly has the <em>hots </em>for her," Frisk said, trying to keep a straight face as she delivered the punchline. Terrence just stared at her, also trying to keep a straight face. Fuku approached with the food, and both of them were doing the best they could to not lose it.</p>
<p>"Thanks." Frisk nodded curtly to Fuku, eyes tearing with mirth at keeping in the joke, which seemed to get funnier by the second as Fuku pulled out her pen again. "Anything else I can get for you?" She asked.</p>
<p>"No, that'll be all, thank you," Frisk smiled. Fuku nodded, and turned, walking away after setting the burgers and lemonades down in front of the two.</p>
<p>Terrence was quick to dig into his food, enjoying his burger just as much as every day he was there in all its greasy goodness. Frisk began to eat her food as well. The silence seemed a little more comfortable now, more casual, almost. A couple of laughs were all it really took to ease their nerves, for now. Terrence, per usual, was the first to finish, his plate licked clean. "That's some good eatin'." He told Frisk, patting his stomach.</p>
<p>"If we keep eating here, Grillby might just forgive you," Frisk suggested as she finished off her food, taking a drink of lemonade to wash it down. "What are you talking about? I've been eating here for three years now." Terrence replied, glancing over toward Grillby, who was washing a glass. "...You ever notice how Grillby always seems to be washing some shot glass?"</p>
<p>Frisk blinked. "He's not… woah, yeah... I think he's doing that every time we come in here. I don't think he actually serves anything in shot glasses... should we ask him about it?"</p>
<p>"Hm..." Terrence turned back to Frisk, smirking. "Let's ask Fuku first. Maybe it's some super top secret. Maybe this is a mystery we need to solve."</p>
<p>"Sweet. Our mission is to unearth the hidden secret behind the Grillby's shot glasses," Frisk said in her best deep detective voice. Terrence chuckled before Fuku arrived to take their plates.</p>
<p>"Is there anything else I can get for you? Or should I just bring the bill?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Uh, hey Fuku, I actually had a question." Terrence replied, leaning forward in his seat. She looked a little taken aback, probably not used to making conversation at work, before she recovered, and shrugged. "Yeah, sure, go ahead."</p>
<p>"Why's your dad always cleaning shot glasses?" He asked. "I've never seen him not doing that."</p>
<p>Fuku blinked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? He's always doing other things, like..." She looked over at her dad, rag and shot glass in hand. She blinked a few more times. "Like... like..." After a few seconds of silence, she shook her head. "I'll bring the check," she said as she came to the realization that they were right, taking their plates and retreating to the kitchen.</p>
<p>Frisk and Terrence spent a good thirty seconds laughing about this before Fuku returned with the check, her gaze shifting to her father every few seconds, only to see him still cleaning shot glasses. Fuku didn't say a word to them as she left them with the bill. Grillby continued washing the shot glass, seemingly without a care in the world.</p>
<p>"There's no way we're the first to notice this," Terrence chuckled. "But... it looks like we'll have to ask Grillby himself."</p>
<p>"don't really advise that, kiddos."</p>
<p>As Frisk and Terrence got up to approach Grillby, a familiar voice behind them stopped them in their tracks. Neither of them were surprised when they heard Sans' voice. After all, he was at Grillby's practically every day. Sometimes they even saw him when they went to lunch.</p>
<p>"Why's that?" Terrence asked, grinning.</p>
<p>"he doesn't like talking about his habits. it's personal. leave it at that." Sans replied with a shrug, eyes closed as he sat in a small booth, two bottles of ketchup in front of him, his red jacket splayed open over his stained shirt, one leg propped up on his knee.</p>
<p>"...Fair enough. Looks like we'll have to leave the mystery solving to another day, Frisk," Terrence told her. She smiled, though was a little put-off by Sans' seriousness regarding the topic. "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted," she said as Sans began to 'chug' one of the ketchup bottles, the red liquid disappearing between his teeth, or… through them? Nobody knew how it worked and nobody wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Anyway, see you, Sans." Frisk waved to the skeleton, Terrence following suit. He only winked back at them as he continued to chug the condiment. With that, the two humans made their way outside.</p>
<p>"Shoot. Asgore might not be back for a little while," Frisk said, checking her watch. If she remembered correctly, work lunch breaks were between forty-five minutes and an hour, and they'd been in Grillby's for about half an hour. "Then we could just... hang out here until he shows up." Terrence suggested with a smile to Frisk, who gave a slight nod. "Yeah... Hey Terrence?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"I..." She pursed her lips, a blush creeping up her cheeks again. "I... uh... thanks for not being weird about this being a 'date'."</p>
<p>He grinned. "Of course. But you don't mind if I say one weird thing, do you?"</p>
<p>"Go for it," she said, smiling.</p>
<p>"To be honest, I kind of missed going on dates with you. You know, just the two of us."</p>
<p>Her flushed cheeks only intensified. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same, that after all this time, she'd only learned to love him more. To let him know that she still <em>loved </em>him, but...</p>
<p>Something held her back. A wall that pushed her a way she didn't necessarily want to go. "I..." She swallowed, and gave a small nod. "I think I'll... go ahead and call Asgore to pick us up."</p>
<p>Terrence stared at her for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek, only thinking one thing to himself. '<em>Yeah, you screwed that up, man.'</em></p>
<p>"Alright," he nodded. She pulled out her cell phone, and dialed Asgore's number.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"So? How was it?"</p>
<p>Asgore and Frisk were alone in the car now, having dropped off Terrence at the park per his request. "Oh, it was, um..." Frisk paused. She didn't want to worry Asgore, so she decided to talk about what had happened before the awkward incident. "It was really fun. We got burgers and lemonades, and almost uncovered one of Grillby's darkest secrets!"</p>
<p>"You mean the one about..." Asgore was suddenly serious, and Frisk raised her eyebrows. It had been a joke, but she was quick on the uptake. Why was Grillby doing that simple thing he did such a huge deal all of a sudden? Asgore didn't continue, so Frisk shook her head. "N-no, I was just... making a joke..." She was a bit disappointed that Asgore hadn't gotten the joke, and glanced out the window as the silence suddenly grew heavy. She could tell Asgore knew something was wrong, but she didn't want to say it aloud.</p>
<p>"I'll take you home now." Asgore told her. "Ms. Juniper is done for the day, so the Relief Center is closed for now. Do you need anything from me?" He asked. "No, thanks," Frisk shook her head. "Thank you for taking me to work today. I... had a lot more fun than I thought I would, actually."</p>
<p>"I was hoping you'd feel better." He smiled. "I know that whenever I feel down, doing something to help other people makes me feel a lot better. It's good therapy."</p>
<p>"It's a bit tiring too," Frisk added, suppressing a yawn. "Or... maybe I'm just not used to doing work," she shrugged. She hadn't been to school in quite a while. She hadn't really been doing anything that required effort lately. "Well, you have school tomorrow. Maybe... things can start returning to normal soon." Her father said, hope stringing his voice. "I guess I'd be alright with that," Frisk nodded, feeling ready. The thought of going back after such a week of missed work was intimidating, but not as dreadful as it had seemed the day before.</p>
<p>They pulled into their driveway, the doors unlocking. "There should be some food in the fridge if you get hungry." Asgore told her. "And you might be without internet, the waifu has been acting up again."</p>
<p>"WiFi." She corrected him. "I'll survive," Frisk gave him a smile as she got out of the car. "Have fun at work!"</p>
<p>Asgore chuckled. "I'll do the best I can. I'll see you later this afternoon," he told her, before she shut the car door. The vehicle slowly rolled out of the driveway, before driving off in the direction of Obatech Industries.</p>
<p>She watched him go, before sighing, and heading back inside. Sure enough, the WiFi was out. That meant no Webflix, much to her dismay. Webflix was a great way to pass the time. She decided she'd check her bag for all that homework she'd had Greg and Terrence deliver her this last week. Might as well get some of it started, finally.</p>
<p>The homework was mostly algebra and English. They were reading a new book in English, and Greg had delivered her a copy. They were already on chapter eight, according to the homework, and she hadn't even started.</p>
<p>Oh well. No time like the present. With a resigned sigh, Frisk grabbed her school bag from her room, dragged it downstairs to the living room, kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the couch with her English, which she'd deal with first.</p>
<p>Her thoughts continued to become distracted, however, with Terrence and the way she'd simply blown him off. He was trying to rekindle a relationship she wanted, but her own fears and insecurities had prevented it. Part of her considered texting him, but then stopped herself. Maybe it was too soon to talk about it? But not talking might just make things more awkward. Aaand now she was overthinking it. But she really couldn't help herself; her mind was getting the better of her. She needed to focus. She doubted her teachers would expect her to have finished the homework, but she still wanted to put a dent in it.</p>
<p>Frisk was nearly halfway through chapter one when she snagged her phone, flipping it open, opened her contacts and hovered over Terrence's number, over the text button. This was gonna keep bugging her, and she felt so bad. She could recall his face when she'd denied him. Disappointment, dejection... She liked him back, so why was she being so difficult? Why was <em>this </em>so difficult?</p>
<p>As her thumbs tapped against the text box, she wondered what she'd even say. Would she apologize? Would she say she felt the same way? She had no idea. Did he even want to talk to her after what had happened? Somehow, things felt increasingly complicated.</p>
<p>Or... perhaps they were just so much simpler and she was over-complicating the matter. Ugh, why did she have to feel this way?</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, she pressed the 'text' button and their chat pulled up. Now came the harder part.</p>
<p>She swallowed, and sent the first text.</p>
<p>'<em>Hey.'</em></p>
<p>She instantly regretted that. The period made it sound too serious. It wasn't casual at all. She'd ruined it already. Her heart rate went up slightly as the 'read' notification popped up, then came his reply.</p>
<p>'<em>Sup?'</em></p>
<p>She set down her phone, staring blankly at the English paper for a moment, before picking the device back up and staring at his reply. Slowly and decisively, she began to type.</p>
<p>'<em>Sorry for blowing you off earlier.'</em></p>
<p>She swallowed dryly, awaiting a reply, which soon popped up. It took a good second, probably because Terrence was as hesitant as her, or because his phone wasn't quite as fast.</p>
<p>'<em>Nah, it's cool. I shouldn't have surprised you like that.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>I wasn't surprised.'</em> She replied simply.</p>
<p>'<em>Oh. Well, either way, I'm sorry. Hopefully things won't be awkward between us?'</em> came his hopeful reply.</p>
<p>'<em>Hopefully not. Are you doing alright?' </em>She asked.</p>
<p>'<em>Yeah, I am. Just stopping by a friend's place.'</em></p>
<p>Attached to the message was an image of a few cats, with a hand petting them, presumably Terrence's.</p>
<p>'<em>Aw. What are their names?'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Not sure. They don't have tags. I usually just call them Small Terrence #1, #2, and #3. They answer to 'pspspsps' though.'</em></p>
<p>Frisk couldn't help but giggle. One of the many reasons she was so attracted to him was because of his great sense of humor. It was akin to Sans, but unique within itself.</p>
<p>'<em>I love-'</em> She caught herself about to put 'you' after it. No, she couldn't put that. It was too soon and would be too awkward. She finished the sentence. '<em>-that so much.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>They seem to like it too, unless they're just using me for the free tuna,'</em> came the reply. Frisk knew that she had to keep going on her homework, but she didn't want to end this conversation yet. It was like the encounter had never happened, like she'd never rejected his advance.</p>
<p>'<em>I'm surprised you haven't introduced me,'</em> Frisk typed, before hitting the 'send' box.</p>
<p>'<em>Maybe one day.'</em> Came his reply as Frisk glanced past her phone at her homework. With things smoothed over with Terrence, she felt she could properly focus on getting her work done now.</p>
<p>'<em>I have to catch up on some homework now. Promise me we can chat later tonight!'</em> she texted.</p>
<p>'<em>Sure, I'm not busy,'</em> he replied. With a satisfied smile, Frisk set the phone down.</p>
<p>Still smiling, she readjusted her book and started to read it, before something caught her eyes. Just out of sight, she thought she just saw something move by the living room window.</p>
<p>Frisk quickly turned to look at it only to find the darkening sky outside.</p>
<p>How weird. She hadn't even noticed. She hadn't been texting that long, she was sure of it. Oh well. She returned to her homework, wondering if the thing she'd seen moving had just been her imagination. Great. Now she couldn't focus again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Frisk awoke with a jolt at the sound of the front door opening. Heart thumping violently in her chest, she whirled around on the couch to turn to the door and- To her great relief, it was only Asgore, lumbering in with some groceries in-hand. Noticing her, he smiled. "Frisk, dear. Could you help me with some groceries?" She exhaled, before giving a nod. "Yeah, sure. You startled me," she admitted. And here she'd thought her sleep schedule might be back to normal. Had she passed out in the middle of homework? She hadn't even felt that tired. She quickly made her way over to him to assist with the groceries, taking half of them off his hands as he set down the rest in his other arm on the counter, before the both of them returned to the truck to collect the remaining groceries.</p>
<p>Asgore seemed particularly worn out this evening. Perhaps he'd had a rough day. She considered asking him about it, but decided to wait until he was relaxed before doing so. It didn't take long. The groceries were soon put away, and Asgore was more than happy to plop down on the couch for some much needed rest.</p>
<p>She sat down on the chair beside the couch, watching as he rubbed his face tiredly. "Is everything okay?" Frisk asked. He sighed, taking a moment before lowering his hand. "Um... Frisk..." He began. "They found another body."</p>
<p>Frisk put a hand to her mouth as she gasped, surprised, immediately having a lot of questions, but she didn't want to bombard her dad. "Is... who... who's body?"</p>
<p>Asgore took another long moment to answer, meaning Frisk probably knew the monster in question. Of course, she knew most every monster anyway.</p>
<p>"The uh... employee at McOswald's. The one Mettaton partially runs. Papyrus is the manager there?" He stated. "Burgerpants, I believe was his name."</p>
<p>"What?" Frisk recalled the name. Burgerpants was the employee at MTT resort back in the underground. The one who despised his job and sold her that steak in the shape of Mettaton's face so many times.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, I... just got the news. He was already dust by the time they… yeah." He told her. "Fortunately, nobody else was hurt. Papyrus was out on business with Mettaton tonight."</p>
<p>Frisk wasn't sure how to take this news. She felt awful, especially because she hadn't spoken to Burgerpants in a while. She did know he didn't particularly fear death, so… maybe he was happier now. It was a cruel thought, but the best solace she could give him.</p>
<p>But on the other side... He had hopes and dreams for a better life outside of Mettaton's employment. Now? He was just... gone.</p>
<p>Asgore and Frisk sat in silence for a few moments, before Frisk got up. "I'm gonna go to my room." She told him, grabbing her phone and her English book, pretty certain she'd read through chapter 8.</p>
<p>When Frisk got to her room, she immediately laid down on the bed. She'd been hoping to get some sleep tonight. It was a school night, after all- but the thought of Burgerpants dying tormented her, keeping her awake. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop imagining what the poor employee's final moments were like. What had even happened?</p>
<p>Unable to rest, she began pacing her room, running by the scenario in her head. Both the one for Toriel and now for Burgerpants. Burgerpants was just… working at his job. Maybe behind the counter, and some hooded figure approached, raised a gun and...</p>
<p>But the scenario for Toriel had shifted. Originally she thought it was a gang of muggers who killed Toriel, but thinking about it more... she could have handled that. No… It was those mystery people. That was the only thing that made sense. But why were they doing what they were doing? Why were they hunting down monsters? Why...</p>
<p>Her thoughts were interrupted as she glanced out of her window, and saw someone standing in the yard, staring up at her bedroom. She looked back quickly, eyes widening...</p>
<p>But the yard was empty. Nobody was there.</p>
<p>It was then that she recalled the same thing happening earlier that day. Wait... was... was someone scouting the house out? But judging from the pattern, the mystery people killing monsters...</p>
<p>Oh no. Was... was someone planning to attack tonight? If Toriel had gone first, then Burgerpants, it only seemed logical that they'd be targeting Asgore now, not Frisk. Paranoia creeped in, and fast.</p>
<p>It didn't seem she'd be getting any sleep tonight...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. "A New Threat"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As Frisk returns to school and meets some new faces, an unknown enemy begins to make itself known.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Frisk couldn't hear, see, feel, or smell anything. All there was around her was darkness, the vague flickering of dancing shadows around her. She looked around in confusion, seeing nothing that stood out. For some reason, she felt like she was falling, but she seemed steady. She clutched at her chest, heart pounding wildly as she felt like she'd hit the ground at any moment, ready to gasp for air and sit upright to find it was all a dream...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But it didn't happen. The feeling of falling just continued. She attempted to take a step forward, finding that she was able to. Out of fear, Frisk began to run, hoping to escape this strange cluster of shadows that seemed to mock her from afar.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As she ran, her heart was in her throat, the burning feeling that she was being watched practically devouring her. Adrenaline pumping, SOUL trembling, eyes watering, she felt the desperate urge to cry out.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But somebody came...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk felt a presence behind her. She turned around, only to see more swirling shadows. What was going on?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She turned back around, the urge to run still in her, despite knowing it seemed useless. It was then that she saw something different. Something that stood out.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Two dim, green-ish lights in the distance. Unmoving. Pointed straight at her.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>With a loud gasp, Frisk shot up in her bed, panting heavily, heart hammering against her chest, cold sweat clinging to her skin. She felt like she'd just ran a marathon, but knew it wasn't true.</p>
<p>Details of the nightmare began to fade away, and as she tried to remember...</p>
<p>It all just dissipated. Nothing was left.</p>
<p>Chalking it off as stress, Frisk threw her blankets off of her, and swung her legs over the bed, getting up. Still breathing rather heavily, she stared out of her dark window, and saw nothing. No shadows, no mysterious people, nothing of the sort.</p>
<p>Closing her eyes, Frisk let out a sigh, trying to calm herself down. Maybe she just needed to go for a walk...</p>
<p>She glanced at her clock, seeing that it was 2:00 AM. She still had about five and a half more hours of sleep to look forward to, which was a comforting thought. She could spend about a half hour on her walk, and then get to bed for the last five hours. Yeah. That would be fine.</p>
<p>She checked her phone to see if she had any new text messages- and there was one, sent at about 11 PM. She swiped on the notification to see that it was a text from Terrence, and that it said 'Sweet dreams, Frisk.' She was a bit disappointed she hadn't seen it sooner, but didn't text him back to avoid the risk of waking him up. She could wait until morning.</p>
<p>The text was comforting though, and she tucked her phone into her pocket with a smile stretching her face.</p>
<p>Quietly, Frisk closed the door behind her, feeling the cool night breeze brush by her. It was soothing and relaxing, at just the right temperature.</p>
<p>Taking in another deep breath, Frisk set off at a brisk pace, choosing to start with some light jogging. That would do her some good.</p>
<p>Voxis, despite being the largest city in the world, was strangely dormant at two in the morning. You get used to it after a while, but to many, it was the oddest thing. Of course, plenty of lights were on, but traffic was little to non-existent. Barely any sounds polluted the air. It was one of the things that made Voxis so unique.</p>
<p>As she jogged, the only sounds that accompanied her were the sound of her breath, and her shoes hitting the sidewalk again and again. It was nice to jog at night. Relaxing, even. She passed by multiple buildings, deciding she'd head up to the school before turning back. That seemed like a good distance.</p>
<p>Frisk half-expected for someone to speak to her. Paranoia had always been part of her, but she was able to brush it aside for now. She looked both ways- no cars, unsurprisingly- and crossed the street she arrived at.</p>
<p>Arriving at the school was easy enough. The elementary school, at that. Her own high school was located closer to the heart of Voxis. Frisk came to a stop in front of the building, reading the sign.</p>
<p>Dreamhope Elementary School</p>
<p>It was a little daunting, behind here. Where Toriel used to work. Now...</p>
<p>Frisk turned away, deciding not to dwell on it. She needed to take her emotion, and use it as motivation to do better, just as Asgore had instructed.</p>
<p>On the way back, however, Frisk decided to take a detour, and eventually came up on a small garden cemetery called Freeway Cemetery.</p>
<p>She slowed her jog to a slow walk, entering the cemetery, heading down a main path before taking a sudden left and entering a long row of headstones.</p>
<p>Finally, she came to a stop in front of a large one, two names inscribed on it. 'Luthor Brewers' and 'Candace Brewers'.</p>
<p>These two names were important to her, but she rarely spoke of them. Sometimes she considered talking to someone about them, but something held her back. Maybe it was fear that her emotions would get the best of her. Or perhaps she was worried that the memories would feel more distant if more people knew about them. Frisk didn't know, and frankly, she didn't think she ever would. It was one of the many things she'd kept bottled up for a long, long time.</p>
<p>She stared down at the graves, pursing her lips. "Hey guys..." She began. "It's been a while since I came to visit. I've been doing better. No more... attempts. Not even after..." Her voice cracked, and she halted, closing her eyes. Even after all this time it was still so hard.</p>
<p>"I'm going back to school today. And uh... I might get back with Terrence." She chuckled sadly, staring down at the headstones. "You'd have liked him, dad. He's just like you. Funny, innovative, selfless, whatever other clever words I can come up with... a little bit of an airhead sometimes..." Her voice trailed off. "I uh... gotta get going now. Need to catch some more sleep." Her eyes fell on a set of wilted, dead flowers lying at the head of the grave. "I'll get you guys some more flowers, too."</p>
<p>Frisk stood, giving the headstones and wilted flowers one last glance before turning to head home. She hoped she hadn't woken Asgore on her way out. He was a heavy sleeper, though, so it was doubtful. As Frisk left the cemetery behind, she couldn't help but ache. She still missed her parents- her biological parents. Toriel had been an amazing mother, and Asgore was an amazing father, and she love them with all her heart... but that didn't mean she didn't want her parents back. Luthor and Candace.</p>
<p>Once again, she was accompanied by only her thoughts, the sound of her jogging, and the slightly illuminated sidewalk.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Asgore asked from the driver's seat of his topless truck. Frisk rolled her eyes in exasperation, though not disrespect. "Dad, I'll live." She assured him. "It's not like I forgot how to school."</p>
<p>He chuckled, and nodded his head. "I know, I know... I just want you to have a good day."</p>
<p>"You too." She replied, reaching over and giving him a quick hug before throwing open her door and pulling her backpack out with her.</p>
<p>"And tell that Terrence boy that he's free to come over for dinner, tonight. I'm making bacon-topped lasagna." Asgore informed his adopted daughter as she closed the door, her face flushing, much to the old King's delight.</p>
<p>"I'll let him know," Frisk said, despite her embarrassment. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but knowing Asgore, he'd be delighted if Frisk invited Terrence over for dinner.</p>
<p>Her adopted father gave her a kind smile and a thumbs up, before driving away, headed off to work. In truth, Frisk was feeling a little intimidated. Returning to school after so long, even a week and a day, felt strange. She felt kind of... gross, almost, like her gut was trying to tell her how bad it was that she'd missed school.</p>
<p>Luckily, she was already almost caught up on homework, which made her feel better. Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the building.</p>
<p>As per usual, her morning class was Marine Biology with Greg. She felt a bit bad for brushing him off so often the past week. She'd have to make it up to him soon. However, when she arrived in class, Gregory wasn't there. Immediately, that concerned her. He was always there. Even after she took her seat and waited, more people arrived, and Greg still didn't show. Mind preoccupied, Frisk didn't even notice the girl asking her if Greg's seat was taken.</p>
<p>"Hey!"</p>
<p>Frisk jumped, turning her head to look at the girl. She seemed to be a couple inches taller than Frisk, with thick and fluffy light brown hair covering most of her face. Only a single turquoise-colored eye could be seen. "Sorry." The girl added quickly. "I was just wondering if this seat was taken? Me and my friend are new and... he already found his seat."</p>
<p>She turned her gaze from Frisk to the desk in front of Greg's at a boy with thin black hair and deep blue eyes, staring back at the girl with an expectant gaze. Frisk followed the girl's gaze to the boy, blinking.</p>
<p>"So, uh... this seat. Taken? No?"</p>
<p>"It's not taken," Frisk informed her. "Well, usually my friend sits there, but it doesn't look like he's here today."</p>
<p>"Cool. I'll keep his seat warm," the girl said, taking a seat. Frisk felt a little strange. She always sat next to Greg in this class. His absence was worrisome- or... maybe he'd transferred classes? She gulped, not sure what to think.</p>
<p>"Are you.. alright? You're sweating a bit," the girl whispered as Mr. Gagne immediately launched into one of his infamous, mind-numbing rants about oceanic pressure levels, or maybe this one was about seashells. Greg was the only one who could pay attention long enough to know, half the time.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Frisk turned distractedly to the girl. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I just... it's nothing." She returned her attention to Mr. Gagne as he droned on, excitedly talking about the amount of plankton consumed by whales on a daily basis. How the man found this exciting was a mystery to anyone, but nobody seemed more out of it than the new girl's guy friend, who was staring blankly at Mr. Gagne with wide, glassy eyes, mouth halfway open, a bit of drool beginning to drip down. It was gross, but also a bit humorous to look at.</p>
<p>A new kid noticed, beginning to snicker, but the teacher was way too into his speech to notice. The girl turned back to Frisk.</p>
<p>"Could you wake me up if he assigns us any work?" she asked. Frisk gave her a quizzical look. Was she planning to fall asleep in class?</p>
<p>"Sure?" Frisk nodded, to which the girl gave a wide smile, before closing her eyes. She was asleep in seconds- out like a light. Frisk blinked, secretly wishing she could fall asleep that easily.</p>
<p>The class seemed to continue like this for the next thirty minutes. The boy staring blankly and stupidly at Mr. Gagne, the girl beginning to snore away, and Frisk trying to wrack her brain enough to understand why Greg wasn't here. He came even when he was sick. He gave half the class the flu last year. So that was out of the question...</p>
<p>Then her mind traveled back to when she, Greg and Terrence had gone to Grillby's the day Toriel had died. Gregory had mentioned that something was going on in his life, but Frisk and Terrence had been disinterested at the time...</p>
<p>"Ahem."</p>
<p>Frisk took a moment until she realized Mr. Gagne was staring right at her- wait... no, he was looking at the girl.</p>
<p>"Ms. Brexin," he called out to her. Her eyes opened slightly, and she turned to look at Mr. Gagne.</p>
<p>"Sleeping in class, are we, Ms. Brexin?" the man frowned, folding his arms, clearly on edge that someone was ignoring his speech.</p>
<p>"No sir," she replied simply, smiling with a casual stretch.</p>
<p>"Then I'm sure you can humor me. About how many pounds of food does a blue whale eat, per day?"</p>
<p>"Eight thousand," she replied simply.</p>
<p>Mr. Gagne blinked, looking a little peeved that she'd actually gotten it right. "And how did you know the answer to that question, Ms. Brexin?"</p>
<p>"You've been talking about it for like... twenty five minutes, sir..."</p>
<p>"I… er… very well." Mr. Gagne pursed his lips, gazing around the class for a moment, before his eyes fell on the classroom clock. "O-oh my. Have I been talking for <em>that </em>long?"</p>
<p>He made his way to his desk to grab a stack of papers, calling himself an 'ignorant shrimp' underneath his breath.</p>
<p>A few people groaned as they saw the classwork. It was never difficult in this class, but there were a lot of questions in a miniscule font, making it tedious and very time consuming. There was no way they'd finish after the length of that speech.</p>
<p>"Feet off the table!" Mr. Gagne told Sadie, clearly already getting annoyed with the girl as he moved down the aisle of desks, handing out worksheets on each desk he passed. "I forgot to introduce them, but we have two new students here, class!" Mr. Gagne informed. "This here is Ms. Sadie Brexin, and the young man in front of her is Mr. Rian Dasterian. They've just come down from Savory City."</p>
<p>A few greetings were murmured from around the classroom, and it was quite obvious that there were plenty of half-awake people in the classroom. The two new students didn't seem to mind, however. Frisk was a bit curious about them- they both seemed really unique. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to befriend them- especially if they'd be sitting nearby from now on.</p>
<p>The worksheet they'd received was, as everybody expected, fairly simple. Multiple choice answer, but it was long and dull, and they had very little time left to finish it.</p>
<p>Frisk put her name down at the top, then Mr. Gagne in the 'Class' blank. She'd almost accidentally put Mr. Shrimp for some odd reason.</p>
<p>The girl began to mark in the boxes, the ratio of hard to easy questions being about one to ten. There was the occasional one that she'd get stuck on. She made the mistake of glancing over at Sadie's worksheet, just to check how far she was, only to find that the turquoise-eyed girl had already finished, and was now leaning back in her chair, looking miffed that she couldn't put her feet up.</p>
<p>This was surprising, as the only person who could finish so quickly was Greg. Of course, Frisk had no idea if the girl had actually answered each question correctly or simply guessed. Attitude suggested the latter but evidence of earlier suggested the former.</p>
<p>Once Mr. Gagne had his back to the class, writing something on the white board, the girl subtly grabbed her worksheet and held it out to the guy, who accepted it and started copying off her work.</p>
<p>The boy- Rian, if Frisk recalled correctly- seemed like quite the skilled copier, zipping his way through the worksheet with little trouble. He wasn't even reading the answers, so it seemed he really trusted Sadie's work. In under two minutes, he'd 'completed' the worksheet, and handed Sadie's back to her. The two exchanged a subtle high-five.</p>
<p>They were clearly friends, and seemed to be a team of sorts as well. Frisk found it to be... interesting. She'd always considered herself to be very close with Gregory and Terrence, but these two even now we're displaying sibling-level closeness.</p>
<p>It was enough to make her smile, at least a little.</p>
<p>Frisk soon realized that she herself had a lot more to finish, and the clock seemed to taunt her. This would be a lot easier if Greg was here- he did a good job of helping her with the rare, albeit existent difficult problem.</p>
<p>With just seconds to spare, Frisk completed the packet- just as Mr. Gagne began circling the classroom with a metal bin to collect the papers in.</p>
<p>Before he was even done, the bell rang for next period, and the remaining papers were simply thrown at Mr. Gagne, the class rushing to get out. Frisk was one of the few who stood calmly, but she was stopped. "Frisk, can you wait here for a second?" He asked, stooping down to pick up some worksheets on the ground.</p>
<p>Frisk swallowed. She'd no doubt be late to her next class if this took too long, but she didn't have much of an option. She had a feeling this was just about the work she needed to catch up on due to all her missed days, but nevertheless remained in the classroom to see what he had to say.</p>
<p>Once the last student had left, Mr. Gagne rose from the floor with the worksheets, and took them to his desk. Once they were set down, he turned to Frisk. "How are you holding up, Frisk?" He asked.</p>
<p>She blinked, not having expected that. "I... what?" Frisk questioned, admittedly a bit confused.</p>
<p>"I know this may seem a bit strange," Mr. Gagne nodded. "I'm aware I'm not exactly anybody's favorite around this school- or the best teacher by any means," he stated, "but it does matter to me that my students are doing okay."</p>
<p>"I'm... fine." Frisk nodded. Mr. Gagne gave her a small smile. "That's good, Frisk. I know losing someone close to you... it's never easy. So if you ever feel the need to find a safe place to talk, Mrs. Difa hosts counseling sessions in the cafeteria after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays."</p>
<p>Frisk had never heard of Mrs. Difa, or these counseling sessions, but she was actually glad. She was definitely feeling better, but maybe it wouldn't be too bad to try attending one of those. She didn't like to think that she needed counseling- but a guaranteed judgement free environment? She had nothing to lose.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Mr. Gagne," Frisk smiled.</p>
<p>"Of course. Now run along, I wouldn't want you to be late for your next class. I know how Coach Small can be."</p>
<p>Her mind returned to Gregory. He still hadn't arrived all period, and she was beginning to worry, at least a little bit. As she made her way down to the history hall, she pulled out her phone to begin texting Terrence.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Hey. Have you heard from Greg today?'</em>
</p>
<p>After a few seconds, the bubble that indicated he was typing in a reply showed up.</p>
<p>'<em>I don't have a class with him until 11:00. Was he not in 1st?'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Absent,'</em> she replied simply.</p>
<p>'<em>Maybe he's sick.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>He'd still show up.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>True. That's how I caught the flu a while back.'</em></p>
<p><em>'Could you contact him?'</em> Frisk texted, entering Coach Small's class.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Why not you?'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'Because I haven't asked for his new number yet.'</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'...Fair.'</em>
</p>
<p>'<em>Alright, let me know if he replies, I'm worried,'</em> Frisk typed, before sitting down and setting the phone on her lap. It buzzed.</p>
<p>'<em>Sure, you can count on me.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Thanks, T. See you at lunch.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>You bet.'</em></p>
<p>"No phones on in my classroom," a familiar voice called from the front. Frisk sighed, Coach Small staring at her, waiting for her to put the device away. He lived up to his last name- the coach was only about five feet tall, though he was also quite muscular. Rumors went around that he spent a lot of time in the school gym after hours. Frisk clicked the power button on her phone once to put it into sleep mode, before putting it in her pocket.</p>
<p>"Class." He announced. "I would like to introduce you to a new student. He comes all the way from... Savory City was it? Yeah, that. After that horrible, horrible attack on your school. Everyone, please introduce yourselves to Mr. Jason Clever."</p>
<p>Frisk turned to see the new student, along with everyone else. Jason clearly wasn't fond of the attention, his deep, golden eyes darting around the room at everyone who'd bothered to turn around. A few greetings were exchanged, but the boy didn't say much, just the occasional 'nice to meet you,' or handshake. Some people even tried to ask about the attack on his school. Frisk debated whether she'd get up to give him a personal greeting. She hadn't done so in Mr. Gagne's class with Sadie and Rian, but that was because Mr. Gagne didn't really like conversations in the middle of class.</p>
<p>Coach Small, on the other hand, was fine with it until classwork began. Especially if it meant greeting new students.</p>
<p>"Todd, your dream gets to come true." Coach Small told a boy seated beside Frisk. "Go sit with Randall. Jason needs this seat."</p>
<p>"But... why?" Todd asked, slowly getting up in his seat. "Because he has very specific educational and physical needs. I have a doctor's note. You want to see that, too? Move." The coach ordered.</p>
<p>Randall and Todd were age-old enemies, so both were a bit disgruntled that they would be sitting together now. Frisk glanced over as Jason took Todd's place. She noted that he was a bit shorter than her, and had slightly spiky hair that was a pale, whitish-yellow. His eyes were fixed on the board up front, and one look at his annoyed expression told her that he would rather be literally anywhere else.</p>
<p>Frisk elected to not bother. He didn't look like he'd be very appreciative of it. So instead, she turned her head forward to pay attention to the subject. World History. Today they seemed to be finishing up with the Black Plague. She'd read up all about it just last night, fortunately.</p>
<p>Frisk crossed her fingers that there wouldn't be a test on the subject. Not because she didn't know the material, but because tests were... not a lot of fun. Especially in Coach Small's class. During tests, if you made so much as a peep, you'd get a zero, and it was never up for discussion either. If there was one thing Coach Small didn't tolerate, it was noise during tests.</p>
<p>Luckily, it didn't seem that was the case. Instead, Coach Small began to write on the board, having to get on his tiptoes to reach the top.</p>
<p>'CW - Read Chapter 9.6 - Conclusion, answer questions 1-7'</p>
<p>With a sigh, Frisk reached into her bag and yanked out her textbook. Picking up right where she'd left off.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Frisk jolted up in her seat, gazing blearily up at Mrs. Russo, who stared down at her. "You up now?" She asked. Frisk blinked in confusion. "Mrs. Russo...?" She yawned. She could have sworn she'd just been in World History class... Chemistry already? At least the day was passing by faster than usual.</p>
<p>That meant lunch was next.</p>
<p>Satisfied, Mrs. Russo turned away and headed back to her desk. Frisk took notice of a familiar face grinning at her. Sadie was sitting just a couple seats away, throwing Frisk a wink and a thumbs up.</p>
<p>Frisk was confused. She didn't even remember walking into this class. She'd even gotten a kind of decent amount of sleep last night. Maybe her early morning visit to the cemetery had caught up with her? Luckily, she didn't appear to have missed that much. She was looking forward to seeing Terrence for lunch. She took a quick scan of the room to find that Rian wasn't in this class, nor Jason.</p>
<p>"Now, if I may continue," Mrs. Russo said, giving Frisk a brief look. "Today, we'll be burning different elements and writing down the results. You all know the lab expectations, I'd hope."</p>
<p>A symphony of 'yes, Mrs. Russo's' arose from the students.</p>
<p>"Now, as for your lab partners... Sadie, since you're new, I'll need you to pick someone."</p>
<p>"Frisk." Sadie replied immediately, throwing an arm over her seat and leaning back. She'd answered not even a second after Mrs. Russo had finished speaking. "...Alright. Frisk, are you okay with that?" The teacher asked.</p>
<p>Frisk gave a nod as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She didn't have time to make a reply, since everyone was standing to go into the chemistry lab. She read the notification for the text, however. As usual, it was from Terrence.</p>
<p>'<em>He didn't reply. Also, he isn't in class.'</em></p>
<p>Now she was even more worried, but didn't have time to think about it, as Sadie was suddenly next to her.</p>
<p>"Hey, you really gotta learn to nap with your eyes open," she said. It took Frisk a second to realize that the teal eyed girl wasn't teasing her, but rather offering actual advice. She did seem to be adept at sleeping in class, after all.</p>
<p>Frisk blinked. "My eyes already look pretty closed." She stated.</p>
<p>Sadie paused, but quickly recovered. "Really? Huh. I hadn't noticed."</p>
<p>Frisk glanced at Mrs. Russo to see if she was turned away before flipping open her phone and typing in a quick reply.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Lunch meeting. Usual place.'</em>
</p>
<p>Once she tucked the phone away, Frisk turned back to Sadie. Mrs. Russo was passing out the supplies for the lab, and everyone was looking forward to burning the magnesium strips. In truth, Frisk had done this in several science classes before. It was fun to watch the metal light up.</p>
<p>"Uh... why's everyone so excited about burning a piece of metal?" Sadie asked Frisk.</p>
<p>Frisk shrugged. "Because it's cool." She replied. "It's like watching a star burn brightly in the night sky before fizzing out and leaving behind the properties to form a new star."</p>
<p>"You into space?" Sadie asked, raising a brow and looking at Frisk, who gave a shrug. "Maybe a little."</p>
<p>"Have you not done this before?" Frisk asked, looking at the assorted materials they'd be burning, then the matches. Sadie shook her head.</p>
<p>"You'll understand it if you see it," Frisk assured the slightly taller girl. "Just try not to look directly at it, it could damage your eyes."</p>
<p>"Seriously?" Sadie blinked, eyes widening slightly. Frisk gave her an affirming nod, before jabbing with her thumb to the back of the classroom. "Mrs. Russo keeps shaded goggles in a cabinet right next to the normal goggles. Get that and I'll finish getting us set up here."</p>
<p>Sadie didn't seem very eager to exert any kind of physical effort to get up to get the goggles, but after a few seconds, did so. Frisk tested to see if the matches worked- they did. She put the burning match into a beaker of water nearby that was meant to extinguish. When Sadie returned with the goggles, they were ready to begin.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Mhmhmmm."</p>
<p>"Hmhmmhm."</p>
<p>Large furry hands lightly patted on the steering wheel in tune with what the king was humming as he traveled down the road, heading toward Muffet's to grab some lunch. None would ever be able to recognize the song he hummed. It had been one his mother would sing to him centuries ago before his teachings as a Prince began. It had stuck with him through all of these years.</p>
<p>"Rest ye my angel, you hm hm hmmm..." He continued, bobbing his head. Admittedly, he couldn't recall all the lyrics.</p>
<p>As Asgore hummed the tune of the song, he couldn't help but wonder how Frisk was doing. It was her first day back at school in quite a while, and he was hoping he hadn't pushed her to return too early. Considering she hadn't called or texted him to come pick her up, he presumed she was doing alright.</p>
<p>Then he started to ponder about what he'd get at Muffet's. Perhaps he'd get the-</p>
<p>CRASH!</p>
<p>Almost as if in slow motion, Asgore felt himself jolt sideways as another truck rammed into his side of the cab, coming down from an alleyway.</p>
<p>He could feel his truck crumple from the hit, and be launched off the street, flying toward a building.</p>
<p>...Several bystanders in the way...</p>
<p>Asgore had no time to react, all he could do was brace for impact. He heard the screams of the bystanders as the car slammed straight into about three of them. The sound of bones crunching could be heard even from within the car- it was a miracle Asgore was even still alive after such a hit. He heard car horns going off wildly, muffled groans and screams from outside.</p>
<p>All he could think of was the poor people he'd just been forced to flatten. The looks of terror on their faces...</p>
<p>He felt like throwing up. Ignoring what felt like a broken arm, Asgore raised a hand to his door, and with a mighty push, it gave way, flying off and onto the hood of the truck that had slammed into him.</p>
<p>Nobody was inside, but that wasn't Asgore's concern at the moment.</p>
<p>He already knew the answer, but he wanted those poor people to be okay. He willed it.</p>
<p>Asgore found himself climbing out of his vehicle. It would never drive again, that much was certain- the entire side was crumpled beyond repair. The design that made it do so was the only reason he was alive. He'd actually been reading a fascinating article the other day about it...</p>
<p>But now wasn't the time. At the speed the car had been moving, he doubted any of those poor humans had survived, but he had to be sure.</p>
<p>Slowly, with anticipation and fear, his heart caught in his throat, he made to limp to the front of his truck.</p>
<p>All he saw was crimson splattered across the front before something suddenly wrapped itself around his broken arm, and with a powerful pull, he was suddenly airborne, being slung up and over his vehicle and into an alleyway, blocked off by the side-turned crashed vehicle.</p>
<p>With a heavy thud, he hit the ground, groaning. Asgore lifted his gaze as he slowly tried to get to his feet to see a woman standing before him, her eyes wide, and a molten orange in color. Her skin chalk white, her hair wild, jet black, and clearly unwashed.</p>
<p>Her frame was tall and slender, almost anorexic, wearing patchy mismatched clothing with a great shiny green bowtie. A disturbing smile was plastered across her face.</p>
<p>"I've waited so long to meet you, King Fluffybuns~" She told him, her voice monotonous, her wild eyes never leaving his, a black whip held in her hand, clearly what she'd used to pull him into the alley.</p>
<p>Asgore could tell this woman was looking for a fight, and the sheer lack of sanity in her eyes was beyond discomforting. He was quick to form his trident, but it wasn't to attack. Rather, he was ready to defend himself if necessary, and something told him it would be.</p>
<p>That something was definitely the fact that she had a whip, was assumed responsible for just squashing three innocent bystanders, and was staring and speaking in a way so monotone that even the sadistic flower in all its emotionlessness couldn't compete.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Asgore demanded, feeling his blood boil ever so slightly.</p>
<p>She stuck out her tongue at him, biting down on it as she stared. For a moment, they held each other's gaze, before a bit of blood trickled down to the tip of her tongue, and she slid it back into her mouth, face the same as ever. "I am your new buddy." She informed him matter-of-factly. "Your pal. Your chum. Your bestest friend. I'm here to take you over the rainbow."</p>
<p>At this, she cracked her whip threateningly. "You do want to join me, don't you?" For the first time, her face shifted, her grin turning upside down into a frown, a bit of blood dribbling out of the corner of her mouth as she made a horrific pouty face at him.</p>
<p>"I'm going to have to ask you to drop your weapon," Asgore said sternly. Yes, she had just gotten multiple people killed, but she clearly wasn't all there. Asgore could actually feel some pity for the lunatic, but it was dwindling rapidly, turning more into anger. Then it clicked.</p>
<p>...maybe this was the person who'd killed Toriel. This seemed like exactly the same scenario- albeit he'd never gotten the details on the killer. Nobody had. The grip on his trident tightened.</p>
<p>Seeming to pay attention to a hint of realization in his eyes, the woman's own eyes widened even more somehow, and her grin returned wider than ever. "Maybe you know more about me than you thought, Asgore Dreemurr. Hm?" She cocked her head to the side, and proceeded to bite her lip this time.</p>
<p>"Poor Goat Mama... she didn't put up much of a fight. She was dead before she even had a chance to cry out her yucky daughter's name." Her eyes flared with the orange, appearing like blazing embers for a second as her grip notably tightened on her whip. <em>"She died like a bitch."</em></p>
<p>Asgore could tell she was trying to anger him so he would make the first attack- and it was very tempting. The way she spoke about Toriel made him red in the face, his grip on the trident so tight that he was concerned it may crack. With a heavy heart, he made his decision.</p>
<p>His temper got the better of him, and several dozens of fireballs appeared behind him, before launching themselves toward the lunatic. He felt bad about it, but this was also perfectly justified. She'd just killed multiple people, attacked him, had a weapon out, and was practically admitting to Toriel's murder.</p>
<p>With agility and surprising grace, the fireballs were subsequently dodged by the thin woman, who cackled brightly. "Is this how you treat your friends, Gorey~?" She spun on her heel in a full circle, twirling the whip before lashing out with it, the weapon cracking against Asgore's cheek before he even realized it was coming.</p>
<p>He felt his fur immediately grow heavy with blood from the gash the whip had caused.</p>
<p>"Silence!" Asgore roared, and suddenly, the alleyway was filled with fireballs whizzing toward the woman from every direction as the red trident paled to a cyan.</p>
<p>Despite being insane, the woman clearly knew exactly how to get to Asgore. She was using all of Toriel's old nicknames for him, and it was arguably one of the most painful things he'd ever heard. More fireballs began to appear- he knew he needed to calm down. He was in immense danger, and letting his blinding rage consume him definitely wouldn't help. He needed to calm down... He <em>needed </em>to <em>calm down</em>.</p>
<p>Asgore took a deep breath, before swinging with the trident. A shockwave of cyan energy was sent toward the woman, numerous fireballs also moving in.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened, this time in surprise as she tried to dodge another fireball, and the blast of cyan energy struck her, launching her back.</p>
<p>She flipped through the air, before thrusting her arm down, showing off her long, wicked fingernails. Asgore watched in disbelief as said nails dug into the concrete, bringing her to a stop.</p>
<p>The woman returned to her feet, giggling as she peeled a broken fingernail off of her finger, watching it swell with blood in interest. "You hurt me." She told Asgore, her grin appearing even more sinister somehow. "That's <em>new</em>."</p>
<p>Asgore was horrified. She actually seemed to enjoy the pain, even going so far as to inflict extra on herself by doing that unspeakable act to her own fingernails. He forced himself to keep a straight face rather than visibly cringing.</p>
<p>Despite her odd liking of the pain, Asgore couldn't afford to get back onto the defensive. The woman was simply too fast. He needed to outsmart her again. The trident remained blue, and he swung it again, more fireballs accompanying a cyan shock wave.</p>
<p>"Not this time, Gorey." She cackled, and ran to one side of the alley, leaping up and using her momentum to literally race up the wall and completely avoid Asgore's attack.</p>
<p>She grabbed onto a balcony, proceeding to rip off a bar and landing deftly back on the ground, eyes lighting up with hunger as she charged toward the King.</p>
<p>Asgore growled as she cracked the whip again, striking his hand. He felt blood trickle down his knuckle, but didn't dare drop the trident. It shifted to a deep orange, and Asgore swung once again as a ring of fireballs appeared around the woman. They closed in quickly, just as the orange shockwave did the same.</p>
<p>With a shout of triumph, the woman dashed forward, ignoring the fireballs and rushing straight toward Asgore, raising the metal bar she now held and striking at him, who raised his trident to block the attack.</p>
<p>Pain jolted up his arm as he took a step back. He'd almost forgotten how busted up he was from that wreck...</p>
<p>Asgore grit his teeth. He wasn't proud of what he knew he had to do, but he had to put an end to this quickly before something bad happened to him. He refused to allow the same thing happen to him- the thing that happened to Toriel. He refused to let Frisk lose another parent.</p>
<p>His eyes began to rapidly blink orange and blue, the pattern unseeable due to the speed. Asgore began swinging the scythe, and the woman at first did a good job of keeping up with the pattern- but as soon as she was struck once, it threw her off, and she began taking hit after hit...but didn't seem to mind much, despite her bleeding.</p>
<p>With one final hit, Asgore launched her into the wall. The brick cracked on impact, and the woman slumped to the ground, appearing dazed for a moment as Asgore raised his trident, aimed at the woman.</p>
<p>"Hngh- you win round one, Fluffybuns... but next time I will have your <em>head </em>for dinner." Throwing aside the bar, she yanked a switchblade out of her back pocket, flipping it open.</p>
<p>Asgore threw the trident, but only struck it into the wall as the woman leaped over it, then bounced off of the trident's handle, propelling herself halfway up the building, before scaling it with the assistance of her blade, using it like a pick.</p>
<p>It only took a few seconds before she was out of sight.</p>
<p>Asgore caught his breath, before the adrenaline quickly wore off and the pain in his arm, hand, and face caught up with him. The trident vanished as he looked back at the alleyway. This was going to be a mess... he'd have to get someone else to pick Frisk up from school today. No doubt he'd be busy for the next few hours...</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Maybe he got a schedule change and just happens to have not checked his phone," Terrence suggested. He and Frisk had been tossing back and forth ideas about why Greg was gone and what he could possibly be up to. So far, Frisk's favorite was when Terrence had suggested that Greg was busy volunteering at an animal shelter. It was a nice thought, albeit unlikely.</p>
<p>"No, that can't be it. They don't change our schedules after two weeks into each class," Frisk shook her head. The two were seated in a booth at Muffet's, having decided to switch things up a bit and not go to Grillby's.</p>
<p>Muffet's was packed, as usual. Ever since the spider monster had stopped adding spiders to all of her meals, her popularity had skyrocketed. Most of her spiders did the grunt work while the young monster herself resided behind the front desk, greeting customers in with her flirty grin and five blinking eyes.</p>
<p>Terrence and Frisk's orders came down from the ceiling, being lowered by a small team of spiders, the plates set down gently in front of them. One of the spiders waved at Frisk before they all shot back up to the ceiling.</p>
<p>"Still creeps me out." Terrence muttered, watching the spiders go.</p>
<p>"Don't worry, they wash their hands," Frisk assured him. She'd ordered some crepes, while Terrene had just gotten a bagel. The spiders had brought him a lighter, unsplit, frosted bagel, however.</p>
<p>It was just a donut.</p>
<p>Not that he was complaining.</p>
<p>"So, how was Marine Biology without Greg?" Terrence asked as he took a bite.</p>
<p>"It was pretty boring," Frisk admitted. "But there were two new students, so I guess it was a little bit eventful."</p>
<p>"You mean Rian?" Terrence asked. "I had a class with him. He's okay. I'm guessing his girlfriend is the other one you're talking about?"</p>
<p>Frisk blinked. "Are they together?" She asked, and Terrence offered a shrug. "Dunno. Was hard to tell from the way he talked about her."</p>
<p>"And how was Earth Science without Greg?" Frisk asked. Terrence sighed, leaning back. "Empty, honestly. It was kind of weird not seeing his hand shoot up in front of my face at every question Mr. Gagne asked. Even he seemed to be missing Greg."</p>
<p>At this, Terrence paused. "Remember when you told me that Mr. Gagne asked Greg to stay after class and Greg acted weird after? What if... these are connected?"</p>
<p>"You really think something that Mr. Gagne told Greg would make him skip classes?" Frisk cocked her head to the side. "I guess we don't have a better explanation. What could they have talked about, though?"</p>
<p>"No idea," Terrence admitted, frowning. "Maybe he sent Greg to college early or something. I just wish he'd text back... hey, I have an idea. Since I'm not busy after school, maybe we could go by his place and get our explanation."</p>
<p>"I... I like that idea," she smiled warmly. "This is probably a bad time to tell you, but speaking of after school, my dad wants you to come over for dinner."</p>
<p>Terrence's face darkened with a red tint. "O-oh? Really? Why's that?"</p>
<p>Frisk shrugged. "Nooo idea." She lied, though she wore a smile, her tone teasing. "He set us up on a date, he's inviting you over for dinner... even you could figure this one out."</p>
<p>"Alright, alright, I can put two and two together," Terrence raised his hands in playful defensiveness. "I'll come. Just promise me he won't serve Papasta again. Papyrus is cool and all, but he's given me so much of that stuff..."</p>
<p>Frisk giggled. "No Papasta. He was actually going to make lasagna last time, but Papyrus must have swapped our ingredients out at some point."</p>
<p>They both fell silent, before Terrence looked up from the table at Frisk, opening his mouth to speak, before closing it, unsure of how to say what he wanted to say. "Um... Frisk?" He asked. She looked up from her food, raising a brow at him.</p>
<p>"I know... last time you said... no, but... I..." He paused, biting his cheek. "You're... sorta giving me really mixed signals here, not gonna lie."</p>
<p>Frisk paused, quickly realizing that he was right. What was she doing? Just the other day, she'd rejected him, and now she was flirting with him? A sudden pang of guilt coursed through her. She was confusing him, and it wasn't very fair at all.</p>
<p>"I'm- I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's up with me. I know I haven't been making a lot of sense, lately..."</p>
<p>"Hey, it's okay, just... you can talk to me." Terrence replied, leaning forward a bit. "You're my best friend, Frisk. I care about you. Just tell me what's going on."</p>
<p>Frisk took a deep breath, before setting both her hands on the table and leaning back slightly.</p>
<p>"I still have feelings," she admitted, but it had been fairly obvious. "I guess I'm just... scared? Nervous?"</p>
<p>Terrence couldn't help but let a smile tug at his lips. He'd assumed as much, but to hear her say it? "Then... maybe we take it slow this time?" He offered. "I... still like you too, Frisk. I don't think I ever stopped."</p>
<p>Frisk found herself very... happy. This conversation didn't seem as frightening as it had yesterday. She smiled at him, not looking uncomfortable at all, much to his joy.</p>
<p>"So... does this mean we're back together?" she asked.</p>
<p>"As long as it's not too fast for you," Terrence grinned.</p>
<p>And just like that, their relationship had been rekindled. It was official.</p>
<p>But the excitement was short-lived. Not even a few moments later, Frisk's phone began to buzz.</p>
<p>It was Asgore. Frisk smiled apologetically at Terrence, who just gave her a nod as she answered the phone. She was about to say 'hello,' but Asgore spoke first.</p>
<p><em>"Frisk? Frisk, there's been an accident,"</em> he said, sounding upset.</p>
<p>Her mood shifted immediately as she held the receiver closer, brow furrowing. "Is everything okay?"</p>
<p>
  <em>"No. Frisk, I'm having Sans pick you up. I'll see you at home."</em>
</p>
<p>"Wait, did-" she began, but he'd already hung up. She swallowed, looking at Terrence, as if expecting him to have an answer.</p>
<p>"I... Asgore... he said there was an accident, but he didn't give me any details..."</p>
<p>Her boyfriend frowned, leaning forward slightly. "Is he okay? Do you need me to do anything?"</p>
<p>"No... I need to call Sans, he'll pick me up here. You just worry about Greg, okay?"</p>
<p>"...Right. I will," Terrence nodded, but looked like he was worried about a lot of things. He nearly began biting his fingernails, but stopped himself. Frisk had helped him break that habit last year.</p>
<p>Frisk began dialling Sans's number, hoping he'd pick up- which he always did.</p>
<p>
  <em>"heya kiddo. on my way. you're at muffet's right?"</em>
</p>
<p>Four years ago, Frisk would have asked how Sans could have possibly known that. She'd gotten used to his seeming omniscience in certain matters, and simply stopped questioning it. "Yeah, I'm with Terrence."</p>
<p>
  <em>"cool. my bike is at the shop so i got one of paps' old cars. terrence can ride with us."</em>
</p>
<p>"Okay. Thank you, Sans. I'll see you soon?"</p>
<p>
  <em>"yeah."</em>
</p>
<p>Frisk tapped on the 'end call' button, and looked at Terrence. "Sans will be here soon, he says you can come if you want."</p>
<p>"Oh, uh... well, I would, but I don't think that bike can fit all of us," Terrence replied.</p>
<p>"Goof, he's gonna be in one of Papyrus's old cars."</p>
<p>"Oh. In that case, sure, I'll come."</p>
<p>"Guess I'll have Sans drop me off at Greg's. You'll tell me what happened later, right?" Terrence asked, pushing his empty plate slightly away from him, and folding his arms. Frisk gave him a nod in reply before rising to her feet, Terrence following suit.</p>
<p>Usually when Sans was 'on his way' that meant he was right around the corner, and the two of them had become well aware of it.</p>
<p>Sure enough, by the time they'd gotten outside- Terrence oh so generously holding the door- Sans was out front, sitting in a red sports car with a lined, orange patterned design along the sides and hood. Frisk wasn't even sure if he had a license, but didn't bother questioning it.</p>
<p>"hey, kiddo," he greeted her through the rolled-down window, with his usual grin, though Frisk could tell he wasn't at his happiest.</p>
<p>"Hey Sans." She greeted in reply as Terrence followed her to the vehicle. Once they were both in, she asked her pertinent question on the forefront of her mind. "Sans... do you know what's going on?"</p>
<p>The skeleton gave a slight nod. "uh... yeah. there's been another attack."</p>
<p>"What?" Terrence leaned forward in the back seat. "Who?"</p>
<p>"asgore," Sans answered. Frisk's eyes widened with shock, before Sans spoke again. "he's alright, though. he fought off the person who attacked him."</p>
<p>Frisk let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, relief washing over her. "Thank God… Sans. Do you know what's happening?" Frisk asked. She'd thought about asking Sans this before, but he usually kept a lot of his knowledge a secret. If there was anybody she knew that might know something, it was him.</p>
<p>Sans didn't look at her as they drove down the street, heading toward Asgore's home. After several moments, he formulated a reply. "i... have a theory." He offered.</p>
<p>Frisk had a few theories of her own, but she wanted to hear what he had to say. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue, which he did after a brief moment of silence.</p>
<p>"i think it's got something to do with, uh... the person who got to toriel and bp. but... i don't think it's the same person. the person who attacked asgore did it in the middle of the day, and killed three innocent bystanders. the ones who attacked bp and tori did it in the shadows, quietly."</p>
<p>"So... it's a group of people?" Frisk asked. "i think it could be an organization. considering crime has been so low since undyne became an officer, i don't think these are random. it's probably a group of anti-monster radicals. whether they have ulterior motives, or even names... i don't know yet. i'm not sure who's getting attacked next, but toriel and asgore... they're the leading figures in monster rights. burgerpants... i can't think of a reason why they'd select him. possibly he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."</p>
<p>"This is... crazy. You really think it's some organization?" Terrence asked.</p>
<p>"i do," Sans answered with a grim expression on his face. "and i'm worried, too. paps and mettaton are also pretty big representatives for monsterkind, so..."</p>
<p>"So you're worried they might be next," Frisk frowned.</p>
<p>"yup," Sans said. "i'm gonna have to keep a close eye on them. pap, especially."</p>
<p>"Isn't there some way to identify the attackers?" Terrence asked. "Like... security camera footage?"</p>
<p>"nope. even the reckless one was smart enough to get asgore into an alleyway with no surveillance. none i know of anyway."</p>
<p>Frisk felt an overwhelming sense of pressure fall upon her shoulders. Like the whole world was suddenly crumbling on top of her and she was powerless to do anything about it. What could she do? There was seemingly some secret organization of apparently very powerful people targeting monsters... The perfect world that she had finally established was coming apart at the seams, and she felt powerless to stop it. She couldn't even reset it...</p>
<p>"sorry for not taking you to asgore," Sans said to Frisk as he turned a corner, nearing Greg's house, where he'd be dropping off Terrence. "but he asked me to take you home."</p>
<p>"That's okay. I'm sure he's busy..." Frisk sighed. She just hoped Asgore would be alright. But judging from how bad the attack sounded, she had her doubts. The car stopped in front of Greg's driveway. A single, run-down white jeep was there, rusted over.</p>
<p>"Thanks, Sans. I'll see you later ba- uh... Frisk." Terrence's face reddened as he climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him, making his way to Greg's front door. "so you and terry are back together. that's hilarious." Sans winked at Frisk, grinning wider as he put the car in reverse. Somehow, Sans could drive this vehicle despite barely being able to see over the steering wheel.</p>
<p>"Why is that hilarious?" Frisk questioned, knowing that Sans had a strange sense of humor, but she was confused nonetheless.</p>
<p>"because i knew it would happen," Sans replied simply as they began to drive off. "just a gut feeling, i suppose."</p>
<p>Terrence watched as Sans and Frisk drove off, before his attention returned to Gregory's front door. He knocked again, but... nothing. "Greg! It's T! Open up, man, I know you're in there!" He called, knocking again- admittedly a little harder this time.</p>
<p>However, upon his more forceful fist, the door creaked open slightly. It had been unlocked and slightly ajar...</p>
<p>"Uh..." Terrence swallowed. He didn't really want to go inside. Didn't that count as breaking and entering? But he was just trying to check on his friend, right? Yeah. It would be fine. He pushed the door, and it opened fully, revealing a barely illuminated hallway with several pairs of shoes lined up against the edges of the walls.</p>
<p>The floor was a bit grimy... and he immediately noticed one wall had a fist-sized hole in it. The smell of cigarette smoke and wet dog hit him like a brick.</p>
<p>Coughing as a reaction, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. How the hell did Gregory actually live here?</p>
<p>He slowly entered the homestead, calling for his friend again, but getting no response. The entryway split off in two directions. The living room and the kitchen. The living room had two doorways, likely to bedrooms, and there was another hall that led to the back door, another doorway there that led to a bathroom.</p>
<p>Terrence doubted it was Greg who'd made the place smell like a barbecue pit, so he concluded that it was likely Greg's mother. He couldn't help but feel bad for his friend- he knew Greg didn't have the best home life, but he couldn't even imagine living in these conditions. There was even some kind of mold growing on the ceiling in some spots. He would genuinely rather sleep outside than in this house.</p>
<p>Terrence took the path leading to the living room, and found that the smell wasn't any better. A couch was leaned against one of the walls, a rug with several pee stains in front of it, likely from a dog.</p>
<p>"Greg!" He called again.</p>
<p>No response.</p>
<p>Terrence began to feel uneasy. Where could Greg possibly be...? Slowly, he made his way to one of the doorways, peaking past the half-closed door. The room beyond was no doubt Greg's. It appeared clean and organized, a complete contrast to the rest of the house.</p>
<p>He swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe Greg was just on vacation. Or... judging from the state of this place, maybe child services had taken him. He was already prepared to vomit from the smoky smell by the time he entered Greg's room.</p>
<p>Just as suspected, Greg wasn't in there.</p>
<p>The only thing that seemed out of place was a paper sitting on Gregory's desk. It was the only thing not cleaned up or made to look neat like the rest of the room. A torn-open letter lay beside it. Out of curiosity, Terrence grabbed the paper, reading it over.</p>
<p>As his eyes traveled further down the paper, his eyes slowly widened.</p>
<p>Greg was leaving. According to the letter, he'd been accepted early at a college. Lightway University. The best college in the country. Terrence started to feel conflicting emotions at that moment. He read carefully over the paper. Was this what Mr. Gagne had spoken to him about after class the other week? Why hadn't Greg told him? Or Frisk, even? Had he already left? What was going on?</p>
<p>He was conflicted over taking the letter, instead whipping out his cruddy phone and snapping a picture of it to send to Frisk later. This all just seemed so odd and sudden.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The moment Asgore entered his home, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. He winced slightly, feeling Frisk's head press against a busted rib. "I'm glad you're okay." He told her, closing the door behind him as she let go. "Are you kidding me?" She asked. "I'm glad <em>you're </em>okay. Sans told me what happened."</p>
<p>Asgore gave a small smile. "No need to worry about me, my child, I'm alright. It's more than I can say for those poor people that got caught in the middle of things." Frisk eyed Asgore, noticing the bandages on his face and hand. He looked tired, and she couldn't blame him.</p>
<p>"I'll make you supper tonight." She decided. "What?" He asked as she grabbed his big furry hand and led him to the couch. "You get the night off, dad." She told him. "Relax and heal. I'll make something for us to eat."</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" Asgore raised an eyebrow as he sat. "I wouldn't want you to burn yourself, or something of the sort."</p>
<p>"I'll be alright, I know how to cook," Frisk assured him. "You just take it easy, okay?"</p>
<p>Asgore let out a sigh, before smiling warmly at his adopted daughter. "Thank you, Frisk." He told her. "I'll be in here if you need me." With that, he sat down. Satisfied, Frisk moved to the kitchen, already having an idea of what to make.</p>
<p>Bacon-covered lasagna. The plan hadn't changed. She'd need to invite Terrence over too. That still stood, despite the circumstances.</p>
<p>She pulled out her phone as she tapped a few buttons on the oven to begin the preheating process.</p>
<p>'<em>Hey, I know today's been kind of weird, but are you still coming over for dinner?'</em> she typed. A couple of seconds later, a reply bubble popped in.</p>
<p>'<em>Yeah, when should I be there?'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Any time is alright. I'm making bacon lasagna.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>I'll be there as soon as I possibly can, in that case.'</em></p>
<p>Frisk smiled, sliding her phone into her back pocket before getting to work as Asgore leaned back on the couch, feeling his wounds ache. His mind was reeling with the recent events.</p>
<p>That woman... she'd been sadistic. Psychotic. Terrifying. He'd never faced someone like her before. Sure, he'd faced tougher, but the way she toyed with him... it was all unsettling. Every part of his mind screamed to hunt her down and exact revenge. She'd taken Toriel from him... but for some reason, he didn't think she had. Toriel's death had been much different than the attack on his life. This woman was certainly not working alone. He'd need to pay Undyne a visit and see if he could get involved in the investigation surrounding the recent monster attacks.</p>
<p>His gut sank as he recalled the poor people in the path of his truck... His heart ached at the memory. It made him sick to his stomach.</p>
<p>And a part of him couldn't help but wonder- he'd been the only one so far to actually survive one of these strange, sudden attacks against monsters. Would she be coming back for him? In his sleep, perhaps? Paranoia began to creep in, much to his chagrin. Frisk had wanted him to relax, but all he could think about was how horrible this all was.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, a knock could be heard at the door. Asgore looked over to see Frisk, busy cutting the bacon, and decided to stand up to answer the door. Perhaps it was the police, or maybe a lawyer, or... something.</p>
<p>He opened the door, and saw a familiar orange-eyed boy standing there.</p>
<p>"Ah. Terrence." Asgore smiled, though it seemed artificial, and to Asgore, felt that way. He was too anxious at the moment to be the proper host he'd like to be. Terrence smiled back. "Hey, Mr. Dreemurr." He replied as the king stepped to the side to let Terrence in. "I'd almost forgotten you were coming by."</p>
<p>"Me too. How are you doing?..." the boy looked at Asgore's bandaged wounds as he entered the home. "I'm doing fine," Asgore told Terrence with a smile. "Thank you for your concern. I'm told these will be healed in a few days, best case scenario."</p>
<p>"Worst case?"</p>
<p>"A week." Asgore shrugged. "So not too bad."</p>
<p>"Hey T!" Frisk called from the kitchen. Despite the situation, Terrence was quick to notice that she seemed in unusually high spirits.</p>
<p>"Frisk!" he greeted with equal enthusiasm, approaching her. "I would have brought some flowers or something, but all they had were some shriveled up daisies."</p>
<p>"That's alright," Frisk told him, and began washing the bacon residue off of her hands. "I'm just glad you came!"</p>
<p>Asgore returned to the living room, delving back into his own thoughts as Terrence lowered his voice. "Hey uh... found out something 'interesting' about Greg's disappearance." He informed her.</p>
<p>"Interesting? Good or bad, interesting?" she asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable as he pulled out his phone, showing her the photo. She leaned in to look at it, and it was more difficult to tell how she felt the more she read.</p>
<p>Finally, Frisk pulled back, her mouth a thin line. Terrence tucked away his phone, staring at her. "What do you think it means? You think he's already... gone?"</p>
<p>"Well... he wasn't home, he wasn't at school... I don't know where else he would be, honestly," Frisk sighed. "He won't answer our texts... so how do we find out?"</p>
<p>"I think we just have to wait." Terrence replied with a shrug. "I mean, I really hope he didn't bail on us, but... he has been acting pretty distant lately, and now, with things starting to get crazy..."</p>
<p>"I just wish he would at least let us know he's okay," Frisk admitted, looking at the uncooked lasagna, layered perfectly. "It's so unlike him to disappear," she added, picking up the dish to put it in the oven.</p>
<p>"Why do you think he wouldn't tell us about this, anyway?" Terrence asked. "I mean, he knows we'd both support him for getting into a college this early, right? It just... doesn't make any sense."</p>
<p>"Maybe... he's... upset with us?" Frisk wondered aloud, looking at Terrence. "We have been hanging out a lot just you and me lately..."</p>
<p>"...Oh. Did we third-wheel him?"</p>
<p>Frisk pursed her lips. "I think we'll hear from him soon. I think this was probably an emotional decision on his part and he'll regret it soon. Or maybe he's actually somewhere where he can't talk to us. I mean... he doesn't have mobile data like us, after all."</p>
<p>"I guess you're right. At least we know what college he might have gone too," Terrence said, holding up his phone. "In the meantime, though... I guess we should just keep our fingers crossed."</p>
<p>Frisk gave a nod of agreement as she set the timer for the lasagna.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Something felt...</p>
<p>Familiar about this.</p>
<p>"Rest ye my angel, you hm hm hmmm..."</p>
<p>Asgore stopped humming, looking out of the front of his truck before him, seeing three people on the sidewalk together, talking and laughing. His blood ran cold as he moved his gaze to the left, watching as a truck was seconds away from ramming into him...</p>
<p>He slammed on the brakes, but the car kept moving, much to his dismay. His heart was beating rapidly as his vehicle went crashing through the street, the sound of screams and metal colliding with pavement echoed around him. Asgore slowly peered out of the semi-shattered car window to see a face staring back at him.</p>
<p>The woman, sneering at him before grabbing his door and yanking it off with force. "Gorey... what's with the look? I've missed you dearly..." She licked her lips, reaching inside with bloody hands, grasping his shoulder. "Come play with me~"</p>
<p>Asgore trembled with rage and fear, about to shout and attack with all his might...</p>
<p>But then he shot up, cold sweat beading up on his furry forehead. He looked around, and realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. The king rubbed his eyes, checking his watch.</p>
<p>It was only two in the morning...</p>
<p>He had a long day ahead of him. Work, and...</p>
<p>He frowned. He'd just been attacked. Surely Mr. Obaseki would allow a day off? If that were the case, Asgore could schedule a meeting with Undyne, maybe do a little digging of his own. Hopefully she still had that USB drive they'd taken from Toriel's. Undyne had taken it somewhere safe once Asgore requested she keep it away from her superiors.</p>
<p>He glanced over at the kitchen, remembering that he, Frisk, and Terrence had eaten that bacon lasagna. He rubbed his eyes, hoping that nightmare wouldn't be recurring as he stood. What time had Terrence left? He wasn't sure if he'd been awake.</p>
<p>He was about to grab his phone to call Officer Dhelaron, before deciding against it. It was much too early to be bugging the late-working Undyne. But... perhaps Alphys could help? It had been a while since he'd seen the Royal Scientist, and there was a possibility she was already conjuring up inventions to detect these assailants and combat them.</p>
<p>He felt a bit bad about calling the scientist so early in the morning, but he could recall that Alphys was usually up even later than this watching anime. Asgore wasn't sure if her sleep schedule had changed since she began living on the surface, but dialled her number anyways, hoping for the best.</p>
<p>It rang for a good two seconds before it was picked up. <em>"Asgore?"</em> Her nasally voice came in through the speaker. "Good morning, Alphys. Or... night, if you're still up." He chuckled softly at that. <em>"It's good to hear from you."</em> She admitted. <em>"I was really really w-worried when I heard about the attack... did you get a look at your attacker?"</em></p>
<p>"I got plenty of looks," Asgore answered. "She must have thought she would kill me. She had no problems with letting me see her face."</p>
<p><em>"Well, h-how are you? Hurt?"</em> she said, sounding concerned.</p>
<p>"Yes, a bit. But it's nothing I can't handle," he assured her. "I'm calling because I would like your assistance."</p>
<p><em>"O-of course."</em> Alphys replied. <em>"That's why I asked about her. I have a new monitoring system I've been setting up since Toriel was... k-killed. I'm almost done with it, a-and when it's set up around the city? Nobody will even so much as b-blow their nose without me k-knowing about it."</em></p>
<p>"That's quite the invasion of privacy." Asgore commented. <em>"But it needs to be done."</em> She stated.</p>
<p>"But such a device... would it even be legal?"</p>
<p><em>"Not at all,"</em> Alphys admitted, sounding like she'd already made up her mind about this. Asgore didn't want to get involved with this sort of thing, knowing that if they were caught, they would be punished severely. Greater good or not...</p>
<p>But at the same time, he desperately wanted to stop these people. The people that had taken his beloved Toriel away.</p>
<p>"Does Undyne know?" Asgore inquired. <em>"Er... n-not yet..."</em> Alphys sighed. <em>"I don't think I'll tell her, either. Not until everything's o-over. She cares too much about upholding the law and all that... I think she'd just be disappointed in me, but... t-this has to be done. I won't allow anyone to get hurt any more."</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>"N-not if I can help it..."</em>
</p>
<p>"Darlings!"</p>
<p>Mettaton threw his arms up grandiosely, beaming at his adoring fans with pearly whites, taking in their cheering and applause as the spotlights showed down upon him. "Thank you for attending this special early morning premier of the 'Cooking With Mettaton' spin-off... Skelechef!"</p>
<p>More applause, much to the robot's satisfaction. "Unfortunately, darlings, I won't be your host this time around, but fear not! Your chef is someone with plenty of glamour- introducing the great Papyrus!"</p>
<p>There was a wave of clapping and cheering, whistling too as Papyrus pranced onto the stage, striking a few dramatic poses as he did. He was wearing his 'cool dude' outfit, along with an apron.</p>
<p>"NYEH! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME, METTATON!" Papyrus greeted him as he arrived at the center stage.</p>
<p>"Of course, darling." Mettaton smiled brightly at the skeleton, before lowering his voice. "You memorized the script right?" He muttered urgently.</p>
<p>"ERM. YES. OF COURSE." A bead of sweat trickled down Papyrus' skull as Mettaton let out a sigh. "Well... I have faith in you, Papyrus. Knock 'em dead, darling."</p>
<p>Papyrus's grin widened, and he turned to face the audience, who were awaiting his cooking expertise. Mettaton dramatically danced his way backstage, leaving the skeleton alone.</p>
<p>"AHEM! NOW, TODAY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE MAKING ONE OF THE MOST GLAMOROUS DISHES IN THE WORLD! AND IT IS... A WONDERFUL CAKE!"</p>
<p>Mettaton made his way past a few crew members, heading for the dressing room. Papyrus' program was only thirty minutes at the moment, plus commercials, so that gave the robot just enough time to beautify himself up for the after-show. The finale of season 8 of 'Cooking With Mettaton'. Some had questioned his decision to place Skelechef ahead of the finale, but frankly, he felt pretty positive about this choice.</p>
<p>He could hear the skeleton talking about proportions and whatnot, which was in the script, luckily. Most stars had people to help them with their outfits, makeup, hair, and overall glamour, but Mettaton had refused to hire anything of the sort. He was more than capable of self-beautification, after all. He entered his personal, private dressing room, softly shutting the door behind him before falling into a seat with a sigh. He definitely was gonna need a recharge once the morning was over. And that much-deserved break was just over the horizon... Once the finale was over, Mettaton was going on a vacation to the Bahamas. Why? Because he felt like it. Papyrus would handle things back here until the robot returned home.</p>
<p>There was a soft knock on the door, surprising Mettaton, who frowned. "I'm in the middle of destressing!" He shouted through the door. "You know how I feel about being interrupted."</p>
<p>No reply. Just another knock.</p>
<p>Mettaton blinked, even more peeved. He decided not to answer- but then there was another knock on the door. The robot groaned, standing up, wondering who he was about to fire. Whoever was on the other side of the door was persistent, which was extremely odd- maybe the show had gone wrong? Oh, dear...</p>
<p>When he opened the door, Mettaton was greeted by... nobody. Hm. Had they left after knocking a third time? Or perhaps it was just his imagination.</p>
<p>If it was a mistake, he needed to get his audio sensors checked. It was about that time for a tune-up from Alphys anyway. They were scheduled to meet tomorrow, so hopefully he wouldn't be hearing things for much longer.</p>
<p>He turned back around, closing the door behind him, shaking his metallic head. "I need this vacation..." He muttered to himself, staring in the mirror at his perfect body.</p>
<p>Slowly, Mettaton approached the mirror. He really should have been rehearsing by now... not that he thought he'd mess up, goodness no, but it never hurt anyone to be careful. Mettaton looked at himself for a few seconds, before striking a pose. "Why yes, Papyrus, darling, I did get a haircut. How sweet of you to notice," he said, glad nobody was around to see him. After a few seconds, he looked back at himself in the mirror.</p>
<p>Then paused.</p>
<p>There was someone behind him. The outline of a person, standing in the corner of the room. Mettaton couldn't make out any details, which was strange, since the room was well-lit.</p>
<p>Flipping his head about, Mettaton turned to face this peeping tom, giving a very hard frown. So hard it actually started to hurt a little. "Who are you?" He demanded. Was that even the right question? It was weird... maybe he should pose a more appropriate inquiry.</p>
<p>"Er... what are you?" He corrected, still frowning.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the figure shot out from the corner, and was standing behind him. Mettaton nearly let out a scream- before he saw that it was just Papyrus, grinning goofily.</p>
<p>"HELLO, METTATON!" Papyrus greeted. "THE SHOW IS GOING VERY WELL SO FAR! WE'RE ON A COMMERCIAL BREAK, SO I FIGURED I WOULD SAY HELLO! NYEHEHEHE!"</p>
<p>"Papyrus..." Mettaton shook his head, breathing deeply. "Don't do that." He paused, brow creasing. "Erm... Papyrus, you didn't... hear what I was saying, did you?" His metallic cheeks simulated a blush, a stupid mechanic Alphys thought necessary.</p>
<p>"OF COURSE I DID, METTATON! EVEN THOUGH MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING FROM THE APPLAUSE. METTATON, IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT YOU ARE DRAWN TO ME LIKE SANS IS TO KETCHUP! THE GREAT PAPYRUS FEELS THE SAME WAY ABOUT YOU!"</p>
<p>Mettaton blinked, before smiling widely. "Oh, Papyrus! I'm delighted to hear you say that. Say, why don't you and I do the next segment together? Could you get me an outfit from the closet?"</p>
<p>Mettaton pointed to a nearby door, the room likely filled with clothing. The moment Papyrus's back was turned, Mettaton raised one leg, kicking him in the back of the skull as hard as he could. Papyrus went flying across the room, hitting a wall. The skeleton looked terrified, turning.</p>
<p>"M-METTATON! WHY?!"</p>
<p>"Because Papyrus wouldn't sneak up on me," Mettaton began, hands on his hips. "And I know the show's schedule like the back of my hand. Commercials don't begin for another three minutes and eight seconds. And most importantly? Skeletons don't have ears. So, I'll ask you again- what are you? Who are you?"</p>
<p>'Papyrus' stood up, not grinning anymore. "ALL THAT VOCAL PRACTICE... FOR NOTHING!"</p>
<p>"That <em>still </em>doesn't answer my question, darling." Mettaton's eyes narrowed, his tone threatening. "Nobody impersonates my Papyrus and gets away with it. Answers. Now." He demanded.</p>
<p>Papyrus scowled, before a long, thin blue bone appeared in his left hand. "I'm here to kill you." Was all he said before a wall of bones erupted between the two, shifting across the floor for Mettaton.</p>
<p>Whoever this imposter was could also clearly impersonate Papyrus' attacks.</p>
<p>Mettaton narrowly avoided the rows of bones, noticing a burgundy glow emitting from his attacker's ribcage. Clearly, this person had been hoping to end things before the commercial break, but the clock was ticking, and they both knew it.</p>
<p>"That still doesn't answer my questions," Mettaton sighed, his SOUL firing a bombardment of small bullets, to which the attacker created a large orange bone in their hands, rapidly spinning it around. The bullets bounced off it with clinking noises.</p>
<p>"That's the only answer you need to know." Papyrus replied, though the voice had long since lost the Papyrus charm, now feminine and cold, Mettaton's SOUL turning blue and he was slammed down as a wall of bones erupted around him.</p>
<p>The robot let out a cry of pain as several bones punctured through his suit in various places.</p>
<p>"I don't have time to dispose of you the way I wanted to," the cold voice said. "I was hoping to drown you in a sea of bones, but that'll take too long. Lucky you. You get to experience true beauty before you're reduced to scrap metal.</p>
<p>It was then that Mettaton noticed the security cameras in the room were missing... he frowned, before 'Papyrus's' disguise gave out. In a flash, the stranger's form changed, and instead of a skeleton, a human now stood before Mettaton.</p>
<p>It was clearly a female, judging from the slightly elevated chest region and the feminine features, accompanied by long, curly purple hair and piercing burgundy eyes. She wore a lot of black leather and skull markings, giving off the appearance of a biker. Her boots were spiked, her belt was lined with some sort of foreign symbols, and the orange bone in her hand was now a burgundy katana.</p>
<p>"I'm impressed with you. Not many can sniff my disguises. It's a shame this star's about to... <em>burn out</em>," the woman said, grinning from ear to ear. Despite this, her gaze was stoic and cold.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"-If you need proof then look at my biceps because they're wearing sunglasses and that clearly means I rule..." Papyrus hummed softly to himself, strutting backstage, beaming and glowing with confidence. That had gone exceptionally well. While he had ruined the cake with the addition of some Papasta, the audience had clearly enjoyed it. Now he had to find Mettaton and let him know how successful the first half of the premiere had been.</p>
<p>Papyrus stopped in front of a door with a star on it. On the star was a picture of Mettaton, and beneath it was the word 'Mettaton.'</p>
<p>He concluded that this room must contain or belong to Mettaton. He attempted to open it up, but the skeleton found that the door was locked from the inside. How strange.</p>
<p>"METTATON!" Papyrus called, rapping his boney knuckles on the door. No response. Frowning, he knocked again. "METTATON! IT'S ME! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"</p>
<p>Still no response. How odd...</p>
<p>"I'VE DECIDED I WILL ENTER, METTATON."</p>
<p>Papyrus tried the handle again, but had no luck. He tried picking the lock with a very miniscule bone- and shockingly, the door opened. Inside the room was dark and silent- odd, considering how bright and sparkly Mettaton preferred things.</p>
<p>"METTATON! I HAVE ENTERED THE ROOM!"</p>
<p>Still no response of any sort. Papyrus frowned, and looked around the dark room for anything shiny. The light streaming in wasn't a lot, but it was reflecting a bunch of glitter on the ground.</p>
<p>He shifted his gaze to start looking for a light switch.</p>
<p>It was difficult in the darkness, but his hand eventually found the slightly elevated patch of wall that held the lightswitch. Once he flicked it on, however, he didn't like what he saw. His jaw nearly fell off.</p>
<p>Mettaton was collapsed on the floor, cut down the middle. Not completely cut in half, but the wound was deep, and the machine was making no noise or movement.</p>
<p>"OH MY GOD! METTATON!" Papyrus cried, falling to his knees and pulling the body to him as gently as he could, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. "OH NO! WHAT HAPPENED? I NEED TO... YES! THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR! SHE CAN FIX YOU UP IN NO TIME AT ALL!"</p>
<p>Papyrus whipped out his cell phone. It was times like these that commercials were very convenient. He dialled in Alphys's number, but was sent to voicemail after some anime-like ringing. He groaned, calling Undyne instead.</p>
<p>"HEY BONEHEAD!" The response was immediate and sudden, making Papyrus slightly jump. "UNDYNE!" He replied. "PAPYRUS!" She yelled back before he could say anything. "UNDYNE," He began. "I-"</p>
<p>"PAPYRUS!"</p>
<p>"UNDYNE, Y-"</p>
<p>"PAPYRUS!"</p>
<p>"..."</p>
<p>"..."</p>
<p>"UNDYNE, T-"</p>
<p>"PAPYRUS!"</p>
<p>Papyrus took in a deep, deep breath despite not having lungs.</p>
<p>"UUUUUUUNDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYNE!" he screeched as loud as possible. A pained murmur creaked out from the other end.</p>
<p>"G-good lord, Papyrus, what is it?" Undyne's voice grumbled, having likely had an eardrum ruptured.</p>
<p>"IT'S METTATON! HE'S BEEN ATTACKED!"</p>
<p>There was only a split second of silence before Undyne's voice came back in, gravely dark. "I'm on my way." Was all she said before hanging up.</p>
<p>Papyrus let out a shrill sigh, looking at Mettaton's deactivated body. Nobody was around who could have done this. It had to have happened during the show...</p>
<p>That was when he noticed it. Looking down, his gaze landed upon a piece of fabric lying on the ground. It was... leather. Odd. Mettaton hated leather.</p>
<p>Papyrus nearly snatched it, but then remembered Mettaton's advice from the hit TV show, Detective Mettaton. You should never move or touch potential evidence. He leered at the leather, not sure where it came from.</p>
<p>"HM... I WISH SANS WAS HERE, HE'D KNOW WHAT TO DO..."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meanwhile, on the north side of Voxis by the docks, a young woman stood by a pier, leaning against a post, arms crossed. Her hair was bubblegum pink, shoulder-length, and blown back to look poofy. Her eyes were a deep, bright blue.</p>
<p>Another woman was approaching her.</p>
<p>"It was easy," the approaching woman said, without properly greeting the pink-haired girl, as if they were picking up from a previous conversation.</p>
<p>This was the woman who'd just attacked Mettaton.</p>
<p>"Well, 'course it was, Trixie." The younger one with pink hair winked. "Told ya drinks were on me tonight if you succeeded. Thank God Psycho didn't kill the King or she'd be trying to get me to drink her blood about now."</p>
<p>"Oh, Mag. You're so funny," the purple haired woman said with a grin. "You know, I think the leaders secretly knew that Psycho wouldn't win that. You and I got lucky."</p>
<p>"Suuuper lucky." Mag agreed, pushing herself away from the post as Trixie came to a stop. "You get the ego bot and I get the lazy skeleton. Whoever has the fish cop is doomed, though. Was it... Warmy?"</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah. She'd snap poor ol' Sunshine like a dry twig. But he has a way of getting his work done, one way or another," Trixie shrugged. "Say, wasn't there a human on the list, too?"</p>
<p>Mag gave a slight nod, shivering slightly. "Yeah. That kid who was ambassador a few years back. Remember her?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. I feel bad for her, honestly. Guess she just didn't know what she was doing to herself when she took on that roll, I suppose. I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to kill a little girl."</p>
<p>Magnum shivered again, though this time it wasn't from the cold. "Well, anyway, I'm glad to see you came out alright." She told Trixie. "Now can we head somewhere warm? I'm freezing."</p>
<p>"Sure, sure. I know a few places around here," Trixie said, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Hurry, now. I'd hate for you to catch a cold there, Mag."</p>
<p>Together, the two made their way back into the city, leaving the docks behind. The night sky was clear, cold, and dark.</p>
<p>An ominous feeling hung in the air.</p>
<p>Something had started this day, and nobody knew how serious it was yet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. "The Messiah"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With the threat becoming more serious, Asgore attempts to dig deeper to discover the identity of their enemy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wall was nothing but an assortment of screens illuminating the dark room, a console before it where a monster sat in a chair, leaning back, snoring lightly, her glasses askew on her face.</p>
<p>Behind her was an operating table, a robotic figure under construction beneath a white sheet. Mettaton 2.0.</p>
<p>The sound of a doorbell ringing sounded, and with a snort, Alphys jolted awake, blinking drearily, smacking her lips which tasted like stale ramen. "Whosat?" She asked, half-awake, before the doorbell rang again and she quickly sat forward, taping something on her control panel. One small screen switched to the outside of her front door. She'd been expecting to see Asgore, but to her surprise... it was Undyne.</p>
<p>Fumbling for the speaker at the door, she put the receiver to her mouth and pressed the activation button. "U-Undyne, hey! What're you doing here?"</p>
<p>"Uh... just checking on the Mettaton body. Papyrus was curious about it. And I wanted to see you," Undyne informed her. Alphys was a bit nervous to see the fish monster. The two were currently dating, though they seldom had time to spend together due to their very different career paths. To say their relationship was a bit rocky would be an understatement, especially with all the stress on Undyne from work.</p>
<p>Alphys gulped. "O-Oh, of course! Let me just..." she pressed another button, causing the motion-sensored door to unlock. Once Undyne took another step forward, the two glass panels separated, granting her access to the inside. Alphys spun in her seat to greet her girlfriend, but paused, deciding against it when she saw how exhausted Undyne looked. It was surprising, and she had no doubts that the 'recent events' were to blame.</p>
<p>"Hey..." Undyne gave Alphys a small smile, walking toward her. "H-hey." The other monster replied. There was a brief moment of awkward silence shared between the two before Undyne nodded her head to the covered operating table. "How's Mettaton coming along?" She asked.</p>
<p>"He suffered a lot of damage. I've been having to rebuild him from the ground up." Alphys admitted, a bead of sweat lining her forehead.</p>
<p>"When do you think it'll be finished?" Undyne asked, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.</p>
<p>"W-Well, it shouldn't b-be any more than a couple of d-days," Alphys explained. "A-And once I'm finished, he should be able to tell us about his... attacker."</p>
<p>"Well, that's good news," Undyne nodded, a small grin appearing on her face. "After all this, we might finally get a lead."</p>
<p>"Yeah..." Alphys replied, turning back to her console to shut off the screens, which only now did Undyne notice. "That's a lot of security cameras." She commented.</p>
<p>"C-can't be too careful... these days... y-y'know?" Alphys chuckled nervously. "Um... I was actually gonna... head to bed..."</p>
<p>"I didn't even know the lab was that big," Undyne continued, looking confused. She glanced around the lab- there were only two security cameras in this room, and they were both in the upper corners. Alphys had easily about eighty screens behind her. Very weird, and the lizard monster was sweating.</p>
<p>"Alright. Well, I won't keep you awake," Undyne said. "I have to go anyway, have a meeting."</p>
<p>"R-right..." Alphys nodded, gulping. Appearing disappointed, Undyne turned back away. "See ya, Alphys." She replied. "Love you."</p>
<p>"L-love you... too..." The yellow monster replied, watching Undyne leave, pursing her lips. Why did things have to be so awkward between them now? Alphys could recognize the signs of a relationship falling apart, but... she had no idea how to mend it, and if she was being honest with herself... she wasn't sure she wanted to.</p>
<p>Alphys turned back to the screens. At least Undyne hadn't asked more questions about those- otherwise, things could have gotten really bad really quickly. Asgore was still the only person who actually knew about her plans, and she wanted to keep it that way.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"And thus, we can conclude that coral bleaching is indeed a problem that we are facing in our day and age..."</p>
<p>Mr. Gagne stood at the front of the classroom, slowly going over a slideshow he'd prepared. Frisk was seated in her desk near the center of the room, trying to pay attention. This was admittedly a lot better than a packet, but she still found herself distracted by her own thoughts.</p>
<p>It didn't help that Greg hadn't turned up or contacted them once. He still hadn't come to class... and Frisk wasn't sure if he ever would, making Sadie, the new girl, her permanent desk-neighbor. Sadie was currently drawing something, which was different. Usually she was asleep at this point in the class period. The other new kid, Rian, was seated close by, and was staring intently at the slide show, his blue eyes glued to the images of dying coral.</p>
<p>It had only been a couple of days, but those days had been long. Monsters all over Voxis were terrified. Four attacks in two weeks, three of which had been successful. Many knew that Mettaton could be rebuilt, but the simple fact that he'd been destroyed was bad enough. And for whatever reason, the police weren't doing anything. Absolutely nothing. Undyne had been complaining about it just the other day, and it was notably obvious. There weren't any extra police patrols, no tightened security...</p>
<p>Asgore had nearly fully recovered, but he didn't seem to be feeling better. He spent a lot of time staring at nothing, his expression sad and longing. He'd usually try a lame recovery any time Frisk entered the room or said his name. It was worrying.</p>
<p>The monster students at school appeared terrified of everything- at least, those that actually came anymore. Whoever was targeting and killing monsters was creating the biggest set-back with the Monster Integration. The paranoia that filled the air was overwhelming, ever more so than when the monsters had first entered Voxis. The only good news lately was that Mettaton's new body was apparently coming along quickly, and that his memories of the attack would aid the police in their investigation.</p>
<p>Or, at least Undyne. She seemed to be the only one working to stop these attacks, but even then, she had very limited information to go off of.</p>
<p>Well, there was a bit more good news other than that- and that was that Frisk and Terrence were officially a couple again. Spending time together was kind of like an escape from all the horrible things happening around them, and it wasn't a secret, either.</p>
<p>Frisk shook her head. It would be a bad idea to keep spacing out in class; regardless of how crazy and heartbreakingly cruel life was lately, she still valued her grades. She'd even managed to make up the entire week she'd missed following Toriel's death.</p>
<p>"Now, I'd like you all to remember that tomorrow is test day," Mr. Gagne announced, and a symphony of groans resonated from within the classroom. Gagne's tests were a nightmare. Multiple choice, very easy, but extremely long and tedious. Kind of like the classwork, but longer. And in a smaller font.</p>
<p>As usual, the only person to not utter a sound in the chorus of groans was Sadie, who continued to draw her picture, which Rian was now staring at, almost as blankly as he payed attention to Mr. Gagne.</p>
<p>"Yes, I know, absolutely horrible. You'll all live." Mr. Gagne stated as he moved behind his desk. "Make sure you study up tonight, or else you'll regret it!" He chuckled awkwardly, as though he'd just made a funny joke.</p>
<p>With that, the bell rang and the class filed out. Frisk was suddenly joined by Sadie at her side the moment she passed through the doorway into the hall, Rian tailing behind. "Hey, Frisk." Sadie greeted. "You seem pretty down lately. What's up?"</p>
<p>"Oh, I... it's nothing," Frisk said, looking sheepish. She hadn't really been aware that her sadness showed.</p>
<p>"Aw, come on, you can tell me. We're lab partners," Sadie said, giving a friendly wink, but it was a bit hard to tell due to her hair completely covering one of her eyes.</p>
<p>Frisk sighed. "Have you heard about the recent attacks on monsters?" she asked in a hushed tone.</p>
<p>"Uh... not really. In the papers, I suppose..." Sadie said. It appeared to ring a bell, but vaguely.</p>
<p>"Wait, you read the newspaper?" Rian asked in an almost teasing tone.</p>
<p>"Yeah. I know you read it, too."</p>
<p>"Just for the sports!"</p>
<p>Sadie then looked at Frisk, and appeared to think for a moment. "You know what, Frisk? I think you're in need of a fun time. Why don't you come with Rian and I during lunch?"</p>
<p>"Oh, no, that's okay..." Frisk replied lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm gonna be with Terrence."</p>
<p>"Well, he can join us too!" Sadie countered. She nudged Rian in the ribs, who was watching a certain fire monster pass by. With a wince, he looked back toward Frisk. "Er- yeah." He agreed obliviously.</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" Frisk asked.</p>
<p>"Of course I'm sure. I mean, if you don't want us intruding on your date, I get it..."</p>
<p>Frisk blushed.</p>
<p>"...but it would be cool if you'd come. What do you say?"</p>
<p>"I think... I'd like that," Frisk nodded, smiling. Sadie grinned in satisfaction, before turning to Rian. "See you in Drama," she winked again, before heading off to her next class. Rian did the same, having Chemistry with Terrence.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"What do you mean 'drop the case'!?"</p>
<p>Undyne was filled with absolute fury. Her boss sat calmly behind his desk, raising his smug brows at her, watching as she questioned his decision. "You heard what I said, Officer Dhelaron. I won't repeat myself. There is no case. Random attacks that happened to monsters that you're stringing together into nonsense."</p>
<p>"Random attacks? Four attacks in two weeks! You think that's a coincidence?!" Undyne demanded, not willing to let this go without a fight. "Yes, I do," her boss replied simply. "Four monsters is nothing in comparison to the number of humans being killed every day."</p>
<p>"So you're just going to let it go?! Let the killers roam free because more humans die than monsters?" Undyne questioned.</p>
<p>"I apologize, Officer Dhelaron. Perhaps if you'd asked sooner-"</p>
<p>"I've been asking for <em>weeks</em>!" Undyne interrupted, fists clenched tight.</p>
<p>"Officer Dhelaron, please leave my office."</p>
<p>She glared, wide-eyed at her chief with half a mind to show him what she'd rather do, but after a silent second of this, she turned with a huff, throwing open his door and marching out, slamming it behind her.</p>
<p>The door frame cracked.</p>
<p>"I'm guessing it didn't go-"</p>
<p>"Can it." Undyne snarled at her partner, storming past him.</p>
<p>Officer Carl Stanton was her partner. He was an older guy with wisened eyes, frizzy gray hair and a massive white mustache, though his eyes were a piercing yellow, signature of his SOUL. Justice. Perfect for law enforcement.</p>
<p>Quietly, the old man followed Undyne toward her desk, where she began riffling angrily through some papers.</p>
<p>"What do you plan on doing?" He asked her cautiously. "I'm..." She grit her teeth, finding a few files before opening her filing cabinet. "I'm taking the case, still." She told him, voice lowering.</p>
<p>Carl raised a brow. "Going rogue?" He asked, just as quietly.</p>
<p>"You can't stop me, Carl." Undyne informed, snagging a USB drive from deep within the filing cabinet and stashing it in her pocket.</p>
<p>"Stop you?" Carl chuckled. "I'm coming with you."</p>
<p>"Coming with me?" Undyne nearly scoffed at that. "Why do you want to come with me? This case is none of your concern."</p>
<p>"If I recall correctly, you've been asking for help on this case for weeks now," Carl replied, "and now that you've finally got it, you're declining. You're a strange one, Officer Dhelaron."</p>
<p>Undyne narrowed her eyes, staring at the man for a moment, before sighing. It was better than nothing, but not by much.</p>
<p>"Just don't get in my way, Stanton," she ordered.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't dream of it." He replied simply, folding his arms as Undyne finished up, before exiting the building, far more calm than she had been moments before. Carl followed her silently as they made their way to a police cruiser.</p>
<p>"Now... where exactly are we going?" Carl questioned as they got into the police cruiser, Undyne taking the driver's seat.</p>
<p>"We're solving this case. I need to find a pattern in these attacks, other than just the victims being monsters. I was planning to meet up with Asgore today, anyways."</p>
<p>"Something to do with that drive?" Carl asked, climbing into the passenger seat. Undyne glanced at him with her one eye, before nodding. "Er... yeah. Everything, actually."</p>
<p>She hadn't had the time nor privacy to crack open the drive yet and see what was contained within, but now, finally, she'd get to see, and maybe this case would be closer to being solved.</p>
<p>Undyne gave Carl one more glance. She was admittedly skeptical of his sudden desire to help in the case. He'd shown little interest in it for the past few weeks, so the sudden change in attitude aroused suspicion. In fact, what if the boss was having him keep track of her? Undyne's career could very well end if word got out that she'd 'gone rogue' as Carl had put it.</p>
<p>But she couldn't focus on that at the moment. For now, all that mattered was solving this messed up mystery once and for all.</p>
<p>They soon arrived at the meeting place, Undyne parking the cruiser outside of Catty and Bratty's Beauty Salon, which was funded by Mettaton. The place may be called a beauty salon, but all it did was try to make people look like Mettaton.</p>
<p>Undyne got out, Carl following suit, and the two moved down the back alley of Catty and Bratty's to the back, where Asgore could be found with his back to them, staring up at the clear blue sky, his eyes closed.</p>
<p>"Asgore," Undyne greeted, prompting the monster king to shift his gaze, looking at her and her fellow police officer. When he saw that Carl was present, he looked a bit confused, having not been informed by Undyne that they'd have... additional company.</p>
<p>"Undyne. You..."</p>
<p>"I know. He insisted on coming," the fish monster said, refraining from sighing. "Asgore, Carl. Carl, Asgore."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Alright, time to go have fun," Sadie said, an unusual hint of enthusiasm in her voice as she saw Frisk and Terrence approaching, holding hands. They, along with Rian, were in the parking lot of the school. Their lunch period had just begun, and Rian appeared to be getting ready to drive them somewhere.</p>
<p>"Hey, nice ride, man." Terrence called as he and Frisk approached. Rian grinned and patted the dash of his car. "1998 Pontiac Grand Prix." He boasted, the vehicle reflecting the sun brightly off of it's deep blue exterior. Frisk turned her gaze on Terrence blankly, having no idea what Rian meant.</p>
<p>"It's old and cool. Just smile and nod," Terrence instructed. Frisk did so, which seemed to please Rian. She could tell the boy was proud of his car from the way he was looking at it, almost like he stared at things in Marine Biology. Frisk felt a bit weird- she was going to lunch with Terrence, Sadie, and Rian... people that weren't just Terrence and/or Greg.</p>
<p>Terrence opened the back door for Frisk, and she clambered in, and he wound his way to the other side of the vehicle, climbing in as well. "Ri and I are new to town, so you'll have to point us to the best spots." Sadie informed the two. The car smelled of old people and Axe cologne.</p>
<p>"Well... usually we go to Grillby's or Muffet's," Frisk admitted. She wasn't sure if Sadie and Rian would like those places, and seemed a bit hesitant to name them, but relaxed a bit when Sadie grinned from ear to ear.</p>
<p>"I like the grill one's name," the teal-eyed girl stated, to which Rian nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I bet the food is hot and stuff. Muffet's sounds like tea and tuffets." He stated, starting up the car as everyone got buckled and settled in.</p>
<p>"Well yeah, she does have tea and tuffets, but there's a lot more than that." Frisk informed.</p>
<p>"Like... muffins?" Rian guessed, to which Frisk nodded.</p>
<p>"Dang... muffins sound good," Sadie said, earning a nod from Rian, who now seemed uncertain.</p>
<p>"So... are we getting hot food, or muffins? Honestly, I'd eat either one right now," he stated. Frisk suddenly felt like she should have only suggested one restaurant.</p>
<p>"Well, we could go to Grillby's, then go to Muffet's tomorrow. Er- if you guys would want to go to lunch with us again tomorrow, that is," Frisk smiled.</p>
<p>"Guess we're still on the fence about tomorrow." Sadie told Frisk, turning her head and winking as they pulled out of the school parking lot.</p>
<p>"I say Grillby's first." Rian said. "It sounds cooler."</p>
<p>"Your car, your rules, man," Sadie nodded, which seemed to make Rian happy. The boy then realized he didn't know how to get to Grillby's, and punched the location into Google Maps on his cell phone as a solution.</p>
<p>Soon enough, they were on the way. Frisk was hoping her two new- friends? Acquaintances? Well, she just hoped they'd make a good first impression on Grillby and Fuku. Terrence hadn't, and was still getting flamed for it.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Pun intended.</p>
<p>The moment they arrived, Fuku could be seen making her way inside. Rian frowned, watching her enter. "I think I'm in a club with her." He commented.</p>
<p>"That's Fuku. Grillby's daughter." Frisk informed Rian as they parked.</p>
<p>"Wait, Grillby is a person? I thought it was just the restaurant," Rian said, now looking even more intrigued.</p>
<p>"Just... don't order water," Terrence advised the front seat occupants. "Seriously, they'll never forgive you."</p>
<p>"Got it. No water. Anything else?" Sadie asked.</p>
<p>"Uh... don't make fire puns. You only get that privilege if you're a regular like Sans." Frisk stated.</p>
<p>"Who's Sams?"</p>
<p>"Sans." Terrence corrected. "He's a skeleton monster." Sadie's eyes widened. "A skeleton? That's so cool. Like the one on tv?"</p>
<p>"That would be his younger brother, Papyrus," Frisk informed her, which visibly piqued Sadie's interest as the four of them vacated Rian's car, breathing in the fresh air contrary to the Axe cologne scent.</p>
<p>"So is this Sans one cool?" Sadie asked as they made their way inside. Frisk opened her mouth to reply, before noticing a familiar figure in a red jacket at the bar. "Go ask him yourself." The girl suggested, pointing him out. "We'll grab a booth."</p>
<p>Sadie blinked, a familiar lazy look in her eyes as she walked over to the bar, but didn't sit, not sure what the rules were in terms of minors. No doubt about it, it was definitely a skeleton, and... there was a bottle of ketchup in his hand. Weird.</p>
<p>Frisk led Terrence and Rian to a table as Grillby nodded at Sadie, getting Sans' attention, who turned around. His gaze immediately found Frisk in the room before resting on Sadie. "what's up, kiddo?" He asked, Fuku winding around him to make her way hurriedly toward Frisk's table, her work clothes on haphazardly.</p>
<p>"Are you cool?" Sadie asked without hesitation. Sans didn't seem very fazed by the question, despite how strange it was. Instead he took a swig of ketchup, much to Sadie's confusion. How did a skeleton drink?</p>
<p>"kid, if you wanna see cool, you should see my bro. he's the coolest."</p>
<p>"The one on TV?" Sadie's eyes seemed to sparkle. "I would love to meet him! Do you think it's possible I could!?"</p>
<p>"You'll have the usual's?" Fuku asked Frisk and Terrence, who gave a nod. The fire monster jotted the order down on her notepad and looked up at Rian, who was staring at the menu with squinted eyes. "Uh..." He bit his lip, before looking toward Fuku, and his jaw slackened. He stared at her for a moment, before finding his voice.. "What's uh... the uh... best food... here?" He asked, blinking dumbly.</p>
<p>"uh..." Sans glanced past Sadie at Frisk, Terrence, and a kid he didn't recognize. "you a friend of frisk's?"</p>
<p>"I guess you could say that," Sadie nodded.</p>
<p>"then you'll probably meet pap soon enough," Sans answered.</p>
<p>"Hm..." Fuku thought about that for a moment. "Don't tell my dad I said this, but I think it's the fries," she said. Terrence glanced over at Grillby, and it was hard to tell if he'd overheard, or if he was just glaring at the blonde.</p>
<p>"Then I'll have that," Rian said, giving Fuku a slightly awkward smile.</p>
<p>"Frisk knows the Skelechef?" Sadie asked, eyes widening in surprise. "I've been a huge fan ever since his guest appearance on Cooking With Mettaton, season 2 episode 7!"</p>
<p>"heh... uh... good to hear." Sans replied, scratching at his skull awkwardly. "anyway, i think you should get back to your friends. looks like they're ordering without you."</p>
<p>"Great!" Fuku replied, leaning back on her heel as she jotted down a note. "I'll have your food out in a jiffy." With that, she turned about, straightening her outfit and making her way to the back of the bar.</p>
<p>"Oh, crap... forgot to order something for Sadie," Rian mumbled as he stared after Fuku, but food seemed to be the least of her concerns when she approached the booth, sliding in next to Rian and across from Frisk and Terrence.</p>
<p>"Frisk, you didn't tell me you knew the Skelechef," Sadie said, showing an unusual amount of enthusiasm. "You never asked," Frisk said, but not in a rude way. "And I didn't realize you were such a big fan."</p>
<p>"Well... do you think maybe you could... like... introduce me?"</p>
<p>Frisk exchanged a glance with Terrence, who was smirking. "Uh... I mean... sure." Frisk shrugged. "Papyrus comes by every so often to see me. He also still lives with Sans and I spend time at their house too."</p>
<p>"Wow!" Sadie was grinning from ear-to-ear, ecstatic at the thought of meeting an idol of hers. "So was Sans cool?" Terrence asked. "Who? Oh! Yeah, sure." Sadie replied with a shrug.</p>
<p>"So what made you become a fan of Papyrus, anyways?" Frisk asked, curious.</p>
<p>"Well, I do quite a bit of cooking, so I keep up with 'Cooking with Mettaton...'"</p>
<p>Frisk nodded, aware that Papyrus tended to appear on that show. Before the conversation could continue, Fuku approached with the food, two burgers, two lemonades, and some fries. Fast service, but that wasn't unusual for Grillby's.</p>
<p>"Oh, did you want to order something?" Fuku asked Sadie, who shook her head.</p>
<p>"No thanks," she replied, to which Fuku gave a nod and began setting the food down on the table.</p>
<p>Once Fuku had left them, Sadie glanced at Rian to find him staring after her. She followed his gaze, before smirking. "Caught the hots for fire girl?" She asked.</p>
<p>"So this get-together is sort of to get us to know each other better." Rian stated, ignoring Sadie and stuffing his mouth full of fries.</p>
<p>"...Like how I am a fan of Skelechef. Or... Papyrus. And Rian has no table manners, and a thing for fire." Sadie replied.</p>
<p>"Oooh, I get it!" Terrence nodded. "I'll go next. Ahem. My name is Terrence, and my favorite word is 'credulous.'"</p>
<p>"Why's that?" Rian asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Because it's the only official English word that's not in the dictionary."</p>
<p>"Woah, really? That's cool," Rian's eyes widened slightly. Sadie seemed to have understood the joke, and was trying to keep from laughing.</p>
<p>"Okay, Frisk's turn." Sadie said, and all eyes fell on Frisk, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Erm... I uh..." She pursed her lips. "I like butterscotch-cinnamon pie." She offered automatically, before feeling her stomach drop at the reminder of Toriel.</p>
<p>"A fine choice," Sadie complimented as Frisk tried not to think about Toriel's... departure. Terrence seemed to be the only one at the table who was picking up on it, since Rian and Sadie were completely unaware.</p>
<p>"Anyways, how long have you guys known each other?" Rian asked, a new handful of fries in his mouth.</p>
<p>"Almost four years?" Terrence asked, looking toward Frisk, who gave a slight nod. "Yeah." She replied, looking down at her food, her appetite suddenly gone.</p>
<p>"Nice." Rian nodded. "Sadie and I were raised together. Our parents go way back, even."</p>
<p>"So... are you two like... together?" Frisk asked, trying her best not to make the question sound awkward. "Nah. We're just friends," Sadie replied, sounding like she got that question a lot. Frisk had figured as much anyways, since the two acted more like siblings than lovers.</p>
<p>"Best friends." Rian corrected after a loud swallow. "We actually made a blood bond when we were ten, if you believe that." He chuckled.</p>
<p>"Yeah. We saw it off a movie and decided to do the same." Sadie added.</p>
<p>"Probably not the brightest decision," Rian admitted, "but hey, no regrets," he smiled as he inserted a few more fries into his mouth. Frisk realized she hadn't even started eating, and began making up for lost time.</p>
<p>"How long have your parents known each other?" Terrence asked as Rian finished off the last of his fries. "Our parents were raised together, like us. His dad, my mom." Sadie explained. "Our grandparents were high school besties."</p>
<p>"So it's kind of like a tradition," Frisk nodded.</p>
<p>"That's one way of putting it," Sadie said, grinning slightly. "Our great grandparents hated each other, though."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"What do you think it is?" Asgore asked, peering over Undyne's shoulder at her laptop, which the drive was stuck into. "It's... difficult to decipher." The cop admitted. Strings of letters, numbers, and symbols were filing by on her screen, but all seemed to follow a pattern of some sort.</p>
<p>Asgore could only wonder what the hell Toriel had involved herself in.</p>
<p>"Is it... backwards, or...?" Asgore questioned, admittedly not very adept with computers or technology in general. Undyne shook her head.</p>
<p>"No, it's too complex to be backwards. It might be a cipher, or... maybe I'm just looking at it wrong?" she sighed, trying to figure out what it was. Toriel had obviously set this up so that even if it fell into the wrong hands, nothing bad would happen.</p>
<p>"Wait..." Carl leaned forward, straightening his glasses and squinting. "Some of those symbols look like-"</p>
<p>"SOULs. I noticed." Undyne replied. "No." Carl shook his head. "Not those ones. This one here, it looks like that Skelechef fellow." He pointed at a small symbol, which indeed did look like Papyrus' head. Next to it was a series of numbers, and letters. The letters spelled out 'RAPTOR'. None of this made sense, until Undyne leaned forward a little more, squinting at the numbers. "Uh... what's the date today?"</p>
<p>"Hm..." Asgore frowned when he saw the date displayed on the screen. "That's... today's date... wait... there's a symbol of a horned fellow..."</p>
<p>"Asgore, that's... you!" Undyne exclaimed, now very confused. There were letters beside the symbol that spelled 'PSYCHO.'</p>
<p>...along with the date of Asgore's attack...</p>
<p>"Oh shit. We need to go to Paps. Now." Undyne urged, about to pick up the laptop and take off, but Asgore rested a hand on her shoulder. "Wait." He replied, his tone deep, dark, and threatening. Not toward the Officer, but to the laptop as his eyes stared into it.</p>
<p>Toriel. The date of her death. 'DEMON' beside that.</p>
<p>Jaw set, Asgore took a step back. "Let us deal with this 'Raptor' first." He said, his fists clenched.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Papyrus was seated in a bench swing, gazing out at the sun and the ocean below. He'd been doing a whole lot of nothing lately. He was still very saddened by Mettaton's 'death' and had stopped by Alphys's lab 12 times in the past week to check the progress of Mettaton 2.0. Oh, if only he'd taken a commercial break just a few minutes sooner...</p>
<p>"OH, METTATON! WHERE ART THOU, MY SWEET METTATON! THE GREAT PAPYRUS MISSES YOU!" The skeleton called out in a shrill voice.</p>
<p>Instead of a vocal response, the loud ring of clanging metal could be heard, making the skeleton jump up in surprise. "WOWIE!" He twirled about, gazing in interest around him, but seeing... nothing. With a frown, he spoke aloud; "I WONDER WHO COULD HAVE DONE THAT."</p>
<p>Assuming it was Sans pulling a prank, Papyrus turned back around. "WHY, I COULD ALMOST SWEAR I SMELL KETCHUP."</p>
<p>"Funny, me too," a calm voice called out to him.</p>
<p>"THAT'S NOT SANS..." Papyrus squinted, looking around. "ER- THE GREAT PAPYRUS IMPLORES YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF, STRANGER!"</p>
<p>There was a brief moment of silence, before a figure leapt out from a nearby tree. Papyrus noticed just in the nick of time, and leapt back before the stranger could land. The skeleton could hear wood splintering behind him, and turned to see the bench reduced to sawdust and wooden scraps. Standing atop the bench massacre was a human- an adult human, with shaggy brown hair and a wicked grin across his face. And were those... claws on his hands?</p>
<p>"ERM... CAN I HELP YOU?" Papyrus asked, electing to ignore what clearly seemed like an attack. Perhaps this person was confused. Did humans have claws? Maybe it was actually a monster. "Yeah." The man replied, standing up straight. "You can stand still."</p>
<p>With another lunge, the skeleton dodged again, brushing by the man as his claws shredded half of a tree trunk.</p>
<p>A bead of sweat rolled its way down his skull, and Papyrus raised a brow. "WHY ARE YOU..." Thinking quickly, he realized that something wasn't right. Why was he being randomly attacked?</p>
<p>Then it clicked.</p>
<p>"YOU... YOU KILLED METTATON!"</p>
<p>"Aren't you supposed to be stupid?" the man questioned, looking pissed that his initial attack hadn't finished the job. "Just stay still and let me get this over with."</p>
<p>The man lunged again, and Papyrus blocked this time, a large and long bone appearing in front of him. The claws struck said bone, which held up for a moment, before splitting into multiple pieces. This still gave Papyrus enough time to duck as the man shredded the tree behind him. Suddenly, a leg was raised, kicking Papyrus in the battle body hard enough to send him into another nearby tree.</p>
<p>With a grunt, Papyrus pushed himself steadily back to his feet, looking over just as the odd man launched another strike. "N-NO!" Papyrus raised an arm. Another bone appeared, blocking the man's attack. This one was cyan in color, and held up against the animalistic strength.</p>
<p>Back on his feet, Papyrus flicked his hand and the blue bone thwacked the man away roughly. Usually, the skeleton would feel bad, but this attacker was making that a little difficult.</p>
<p>"WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?"</p>
<p>"Because you're a disgusting monster," the man growled, his claws shining in the sunlight. He lunged again, and Papyrus created another bone, but the man didn't attack it. Instead, he kneeled, before striking with a claw-uppercut, shredding Papyrus's battle body right down the center.</p>
<p>"HEY! THAT WAS MY-" Papyrus began, before another kick sent him flying into the remnants of the bench. Papyrus groaned, standing. "THIS IS... WHY?!"</p>
<p>Feeling overcome with emotion, Papyrus was quicker to his feet, the previous bones vanishing as another blue one appeared in his right hand. "STOP IT!" He yelled, swinging quickly, blocking another attack, slapping the man's claws out of the way. His leg came in for another attack, which was blocked as well with the twirl of a bone. Grabbing on with his left hand, Papyrus jabbed the bone into the man's gut before he could do much else as his SOUL appeared before them, flashing blue. Both it and the man were suddenly propelled backwards as Papyrus winced, the attacks having taken more out of him than he'd expected.</p>
<p>The man's back crunched into one of the trees that had nearly been cleaved in half previously. He grunted at the rough landing, brushing some dust off of himself as he stood back up, SOUL reverting back to its original color...</p>
<p>But it was strange. The center of the SOUL was green, but there appeared to be other colors mixed into it, like someone had spilled multiple different colors of paint onto a dish.</p>
<p>"You've got a lot of nerve," the man snarled, charging at the skeleton. Papyrus huffed and puffed, having used a lot of energy just a few seconds prior, and the enemy wasn't giving him a second to rest. He sidestepped again, only for the man to lift up a leg again, but his kick was stopped with a bone.</p>
<p>"You think you're funny or something?!" the man demanded, before slashing Papyrus's battle body horizontally, half of the ruined 'armor' falling off onto the ground.</p>
<p>"I THINK I'M JUST A BIT CONFUSED." Papyrus replied. "AND CONFLICTED."</p>
<p>"Conflicted? How's that?" The man growled, feinting left, causing Papyrus to block an attack that wasn't coming, and get a kick to the side of his head, knocking him to the ground.</p>
<p>The man stepped forward with an intent to kill, about to deal a final blow, before a bone on a skateboard suddenly hit him in the back, launching him over Papyrus, who got to his feet, wincing. "CONFLICTED ON IF I SHOULD TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY OR NOT."</p>
<p>"I don't care how you 'take' me," the man replied, "you can't change the fact that I'm about to turn you into dust."</p>
<p>"BUT WHY? YOU HAVE NO REASON TO KILL ME! YOU HAD NO REASON TO KILL METTATON!"</p>
<p>"I already told you why I'm going to kill you," the man stated, getting to his feet. He had a wild look in his eyes, and looked ready to pounce. "It's because monsters deserve to die. Being sealed up in a mountain was a fate way too good for you. Monsters and humans aren't meant to work together, help each other, and live in peace."</p>
<p>He gave a cruel grin. "Get it now?"</p>
<p>Papyrus stared at the man, who was soaking in the look of defeat Papyrus gave him.</p>
<p>"I... I THINK I DO." The skeleton replied, and raised his arm.</p>
<p>Immediately, a wall of bones all aimed for the man began to hurl down upon him, a look of determination clear on Papyrus' face. "WHAT YOU DID TO METTATON WASN'T RIGHT. WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO ME ISN'T RIGHT. I WILL FIGHT YOU UNTIL YOU SURRENDER."</p>
<p>"I was right, you are stupid," the man said, leaping away to avoid the bones. "You still don't get it. This is a fight to the death."</p>
<p>"NO, I GET IT. BUT I'M NOT FIGHTING BY YOUR RULES!" Papyrus replied, a long bone appearing in his hands. The man grit his teeth, lunging to strike, realizing that he was going to have to try a new method soon as the skeleton blocked it. "SURRENDER!" Papyrus demanded.</p>
<p>"Just shut up!" the man growled, raising a fist and slamming it into Papyrus's skull as hard as he could. A small crack appeared on the skeleton's forehead as he was forced to stumble back.</p>
<p>It was then that police sirens could be heard, fast approaching.</p>
<p>"Fffffuuuh." The man growled, rushing toward Papyrus, intending on making it as quick as possible, when out of nowhere, a blue spear hurtled through the air, barely missing the man's arm, grazing his bicep and tearing through his clothing, cutting deep into his flesh before getting lodged into a tree, Officer Dhelaron rushing in with a much larger figure bringing up the rear.</p>
<p>The brown haired man quickly leapt backwards to put distance between himself and the newcomers.</p>
<p>'<em>Dammit Psycho,'</em> he thought as he recognized Asgore Dreemurr as the larger figure- a man that was supposed to be dead right now. Just his luck, things had just gone from annoying to terrible.</p>
<p>He held one clawed hand to his wound, applying pressure to avoid losing too much blood as Undyne rushed to the stumbling Papyrus's side.</p>
<p>While Undyne dealt with the injured Papyrus, Asgore scanned the trees, his gaze piercing, face displayed clearly his anger and frustration. Raptor cursed under his breath, before turning and leaping away, making a stealthy exit.</p>
<p>"I-I'M FINE..." Papyrus assured Undyne as she helped him up, staring at the crack on the side of his skull. "You sure, cuz uh... you took quite a beating." Undyne replied.</p>
<p>"NO, NO, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALRIGHT, I ASSURE YOU... I'M JUST LUCKY YOU SHOWED UP, UNDYNE!"</p>
<p>"Yeah..." Undyne sighed with relief. If they'd been here just a few seconds later, Papyrus certainly could have met the same fate as Toriel, Burgerpants, and Mettaton. She scanned their surroundings, fairly sure that that guy wouldn't be coming back.</p>
<p>"I need to catch him," Undyne stated firmly.</p>
<p>"He's already gone." Asgore replied simply to Undyne. "Fled the scene. Trail of blood stops at that tree." He pointed toward a tree a few meters away, before lowering his arm. "These people aren't dumb. They wouldn't stick around. We need to learn when the next attack is and prepare for it."</p>
<p>Undyne pursed her lips, before nodding. "Alright. Just... we need to take Papyrus to the ER."</p>
<p>"Agreed," Asgore nodded. Undyne helped the skeleton walk to the cruiser, noticing how his battle body had been shredded. What kind of weapons had this attacker been using? It almost seemed just like the way her own armor had been torn the day Toriel died… well, there would be plenty of time to ask Papyrus about that later. Undyne helped him into the backseat of the cruiser.</p>
<p>Asgore followed Undyne, and with one last sweeping gaze over the forest, he squeezed himself into the cruiser's passenger seat.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I had fun." Sadie commented, the four fast friends making their way toward the school's front doors. "You know what? Me too." Terrence commented. Rian belched, which Sadie ignored, instead replying with; "We should do this again sometime."</p>
<p>"I think so too," Frisk nodded. Sadie and Rian seemed like genuinely nice people, and this felt like the get together the four had needed to 'officially' become friends. Frisk was definitely looking forward to doing this again sometime.</p>
<p>"Alright, fifth period. You ready to do some square rooting?" Terrence asked Frisk with a grin as they entered the school, the bell ringing, warning them that they only had a few minutes to get to class.</p>
<p>"Honestly? Not really." Frisk replied. Despite the overall wellness going on at the moment, she felt uneasy for some reason. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.</p>
<p>"What's wrong? It can't have been Rian, I've heard you burp way louder." Terrence told her jokingly, trying to brighten her spirits. She giggled at that, but still felt a sense of dread.</p>
<p>Finally, she looked over her shoulder out of some type of instinct, and locked eyes with a familiar student. Jason. And he was staring right back at her with his golden eyes. He held her gaze for but a moment, before ducking down into a grey Oldsmobile with heavily tinted windows.</p>
<p>Frisk stopped, frowning. Terrence pursed his lips as he stopped too, following her gaze to look at the car. "Seriously, are you okay?"</p>
<p>"...Yeah, I'm fine," Frisk assured him. "Come on, let's head to class before Mr. Kay marks us late."</p>
<p>Terrence held up a hand, stopping her. "It takes us thirty seconds to get to class. We have plenty of time. Frisk, you can tell me if something's bothering you- seriously. You know that, right?"</p>
<p>Frisk looked down. She did know that, but she honestly couldn't explain why she felt so uneasy. Jason seemed like a nice boy who kept to himself. He hadn't done anything bad to her in the slightest- he'd even loaned her a pencil in World History class.</p>
<p>But every time she caught a glimpse of those eerie golden eyes, she felt... intimidated.</p>
<p>"You know that new boy, Jason?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Uh... I may have seen him around like, once or twice, why? Is he giving you a hard time?"</p>
<p>"No. Not at all. He's just..." Frisk struggled to find the right words. "Weird, I guess. I dunno. I just... feel uneasy around him. Like... when I make eye-contact it..." At that moment, she came to a sudden realization. It had been the exact same emotion she'd felt when meeting Asgore's boss, Mr. Obaseki. The man had seemingly struck her very SOUL with his gaze. It had only lasted for a moment, and there was no way that the two individuals were connected but for some reason... she just felt so unsure.</p>
<p>"Do you ever-" She turned to Terrence, but her phone suddenly ringing interrupted her. Annoyed, she pulled it out of her pocket to find the caller ID was 'sans the mans'. Frisk looked back to Terrence, who gave a nod. She hit the answer button, raising the phone to her ear. "Hello?"</p>
<p>"hey." Sans' voice emerged from the other end. It sounded significantly more serious than usual, a voice Frisk heard very, very rarely. "there's, uh... been another attack."</p>
<p>"You're kidding. Who?" Frisk asked. There really was no way to get used to this kind of news.</p>
<p>"...papyrus," Sans answered.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I was interrupted before I could make the kill."</p>
<p>Raptor only heard silence in return as he knelt before the dark individual shrouded in shadows, back toward him.</p>
<p>"It was our next target and our last target." He added.</p>
<p>"Psikho obrabatyvayetsya." The figure replied, voice a heavy Russian accent. "Nastoyashchiy vopros ... chto s toboy delat'."</p>
<p>Raptor blinked, trying to keep his tone steady. "I promise you, I can finish what I started. Just give me one more chance, I can..."</p>
<p>He swallowed. "Come on, you know it was just a fluke, right Leader Nikolai? I- I did everything I was supposed to do, but I can't take on all three of them at once!"</p>
<p>The figure said nothing for a moment.</p>
<p>"...Tebe budet dan vtoroy shans, Raptor." The figure replied steadily. "Ryba budet khorosho okhranyat'sya. Vy pomozhete Khaytu ubit' yeye." Raptor sighed in relief, before it was caught in his throat. "No..." Nikolai continued. "Snova neudacha, i ya bez kolebaniy ub'yu tebya."</p>
<p>"I-I won't fail again, sir, I guarantee it," Raptor said, clicking his claws together nervously.</p>
<p>The leader waved a hand to dismiss Raptor, who eagerly left the room, exhaling and inhaling as pure relief washed over him. He almost felt bad for Psycho- she'd fled from one monster, while he'd fled from three. She was likely getting the shorter end of the stick. A couple of Troop Guards closed the doors behind him as he exited, suddenly appreciating life a little bit more. Almost immediately, he was met by a familiar pink-haired young woman, who greeted him with a friendly wave that many in the Messiah didn't seem to have the willpower to give.</p>
<p>"Hey, birdie." Magnum greeted. "I see you're still alive."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, if the next attack goes just as badly, things might be different next time," he told her, running a hand through his brown hair. Magnum was one of the more pleasant members of the organization, so he didn't really mind conversing with her. Most of the others were a serious pain in the ass. "You're lucky you got the shortie."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, you know the big boss." Magnum shrugged as she fell into step beside Raptor, the both of them making their way down a long hallway. "He doesn't like me biting off more than I can chew and that jazz. So I hear that you had trouble with the one you called, and I quote; 'Weak, dumb monster that will go down before he even knows I'm there'."</p>
<p>"Oh, god, I can already tell you and Trixie will be giving me crap about this for a month," he sighed, seemingly to her amusement. "He was faster than I expected. And my sneak attack might not have been as sneaky as I thought. Just how much of my almost-death-sentence did you listen to, anyways?"</p>
<p>"Oh, only the parts that had talking." Magnum replied earnestly as they banked left down another hall, this one opening up into what seemed to be a cafeteria. "You should have heard how he talked to Psycho. She was in tears by the end of it. Though you didn't hear that from me."</p>
<p>"Didn't think it was possible to make Psycho cry," Raptor admitted, still clicking his claws together anxiously just thinking about his conversation with the boss.</p>
<p>"You seemed ready to cry, too," Magnum added.</p>
<p>"Last time I cried was when we all had to learn Russian so we could understand him," Raptor joked. "It's called trauma." He sighed. "At least Trickster got her job done. I know you'd be real bummed if she got chewed out like that."</p>
<p>"Well, yeah." Magnum replied, as though there was no question about it. "She's my bff. I dunno what I'd do without her. Oh man! Spaghetti today?" The young woman was distracted as she looked over to the chow line, grinning widely. "I love the kind dad always gets."</p>
<p>The cafeteria was full of plenty of other individuals, all beneath Magnum and Raptor, who were two of the seven reigning Lieutenants over the Messiah. Above them were the three leaders, one of which was Magnum's father, and the representing leader, meaning he had more sway than the other two.</p>
<p>"Just be careful," Magnum advised Raptor as the two approached the line, each of them taking a plate. "Yours might be poisoned, you know, as punishment."</p>
<p>"Very funny," Raptor replied as Magnum began to load up her plate with very thin spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, three meatballs, and garlic bread. There was salad too, but it was just lettuce and croutons, so nobody was interested.</p>
<p>"So the next target... fish cop, right? What was her name again?" Magnum asked. Raptor scoffed at that. "Does it matter?" He asked, loading his plate up. Magnum stared at him for a moment, before shrugging. "I uh... guess not. Just figured it would be easier than saying 'fish cop'."</p>
<p>"It's, like... Undrid, or something," Raptor shrugged, clearly having only studied his own target in depth. "She's a real fighter, too, nearly ripped my arm right off. That's twice now I've crossed paths with her."</p>
<p>"Wow, I sure feel bad for whoever has to fight her," Magnum smiled, taking a big bite of the delicious spaghetti.</p>
<p>"Har har." Raptor rolled his eyes. "At least I won't be alone. Only problem is, it'll probably be at night when we attack and everyone knows Warmth isn't that reliable in nocturnal hours. He's just as likely to maul me as he is Undid... or whatever her name was."</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah, definitely," Magnum nodded. "There's a good reason they have to chain him up every night. He tore his own eye out, you know."</p>
<p>"Thanks, makes me feel a lot better," Raptor said as he took a bite of a meatball.</p>
<p>"Oh, come on, it's not that bad. As long as she goes down, you get to live, and eat more spaghetti," Magnum grinned, taking another big bite.</p>
<p>"Unless Warmth, you know, swipes my liver or something while he's at it. Have you noticed that we have some pretty... incompetent lieutenants? I mean... how is Psycho one? She's just as likely to eat a teammate as she is to tear off a fingernail. Then Truck? He can't even read, or write, or... anything."</p>
<p>"Never really thought about it," Magnum admitted. "Guess the leaders just got the toughest ones out of the bunch and made them the lieutenants. I mean, Truck is sorta reliable, and Psycho usually gets things done..."</p>
<p>"Just seems like poor judgement to me," Raptor shrugged, before pausing. "No disrespect to your dad or anything."</p>
<p>"None taken." Magnum shrugged. "Pretty sure I've said worse. And to his face."</p>
<p>They ate in silence for a moment, before Magnum continued. "Can I ask you a serious question?"</p>
<p>"Uh... sure." Raptor replied through a mouthful. "I was just wondering... why do we hate monsters so much? I mean, I get that they're different and if they absorb a human SOUL it's a bad deal, but... nobody will tell me why we hate them. Why <em>I'm </em>supposed to hate them.. Why we have to kill them. All I get is the repetetive speech of 'oh man magnum, your dad won't be happy to hear you talk like this, monsters are bad because vague history books'."</p>
<p>"You wanna know why we hate them...?" Raptor raised an eyebrow, to which Magnum nodded. "Well, that's kinda tough to answer."</p>
<p>"Regular ol' monster-hater like you? Come on. I just wanna know what you think." Magnum took a large bite of spaghetti, slurping it up, leaving tomato sauce all down her chin. Raptor sighed. "I guess it's because... they're different from us," Raptor replied. "They're just as intelligent as us, but they're also not like us. I guess that's enough."</p>
<p>"You don't sound very sure," Magnum raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Look. They're dangerous. They pose a threat. You've studied the stories, just like I have. They're a deadly menace to the livelihood of humanity. Does that sound sure enough for you?" Raptor snapped, to which Magnum raised her hands defensively. "Yeah, man. If you say so. It's just... they haven't really done anything wrong, have they?" Magnum wondered aloud. "There hasn't been a single monster-on-human attack."</p>
<p>"Careful," Raptor warned. "I'm not gonna rat you out, but if someone else heard you saying that- and the leaders found out? You could be in big trouble."</p>
<p>"I've heard that one before. What happened to freedom of speech?" Magnum replied quickly. "Sorta lost that when we joined the Messiah." Raptor scoffed in reply.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Because I totally joined up. Grabbed my baby bottle, hitched my diaper, and slapped my caretaker with the Messiah flag until she obeyed." Magnum replied, and stood up. "Try not to get yourself killed, Birdbrain. I kinda like you alive and all that."</p>
<p>"Yeah... yeah, same," he agreed, deciding not to comment on the 'Birdbrain' nickname. He was... scared. Not scared of Undell, or whatever her stupid name was. No, Raptor was scared of what the boss would do to him if something stupid got in the way and he was forced to retreat again. He watched Magnum walk out of the cafeteria. It was probably best to go talk to Warmth now.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Asgore was silent during the entire drive. Frisk could tell that he was upset, and dangerously so. He held a vice grip on the steering wheel the entire ride, and still said nothing as they parked in the lot at the hospital. Frisk opted not to ask him about it yet. Not until he'd calmed down. Personally, she too was upset. Attacks kept happening and she had no idea how to stop them, or even try to. When Asgore got out of the vehicle, Frisk could see that his fists were tightly clenched. She'd never seen him this angry-looking. Had something else happened aside from Papyrus's attack?</p>
<p>The two entered the hospital, Frisk growing increasingly worried. When they reached the front desk, the scarlet-headed woman manning the ship seemed to immediately know what they were looking for.</p>
<p>"Room 117, down the left hall," she informed them.</p>
<p>Asgore gave her a curt nod, and led Frisk to the room, passing a few doctors and patients along the way before reaching the room.</p>
<p>The door was wide open. There was only one bed, which Papyrus laid on. Sans and Undyne occupied the room as well, Sans sleeping on the chair beside the bed as Undyne stared out of the window.</p>
<p>"Hey, Papyrus," Frisk greeted, checking out the damages. Papyrus wasn't wearing his battle body, instead in a long hospital gown. He wore heavy bandages that were wrapped around his skill. "OH, HELLO, HUMAN! I'M SO GLAD YOU'VE COME TO SEE THE GREAT PAPYRUS IN HIS TIME OF NEED!" the skeleton said happily.</p>
<p>"Of course." Frisk replied, looking toward Undyne, who gave her a nod before making her way past Frisk to Asgore, the two stepping outside to talk privately as Sans opened a single eye to look at Frisk, but said nothing.</p>
<p>"How are you feeling?" Frisk asked the younger skeleton.</p>
<p>"WELL... ADMITTEDLY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS ISN'T FEELING AT HIS BEST RIGHT NOW," the skeleton admitted. "BUT THE DOCTORS SAY I'M GOING TO BE FINE! SO THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS IN HIGH SPIRITS! NYEH HEH HEH!"</p>
<p>"That's good, I'm glad to hear it!" Frisk smiled, and took a seat at one of the other chairs in the room as Papyrus began to describe his experience, making sure to make himself as bold as possible in the story.</p>
<p>Undyne and Asgore, meanwhile, were discussing what their next step was. "We need to see who's next." He told her. "And prepare accordingly this time. I'm done with these attacks, and these people don't know that we have information on them."</p>
<p>"Good idea," Asgore nodded. "As long as we keep a close eye on whoever's next on their list, we should be able to avoid another death. Perhaps we could even take their next assassin to justice."</p>
<p>Undyne nodded, holding up the flash drive. "I made copies," she informed him, "just in case."</p>
<p>Pleased, Asgore gave her a small smile. "Good. We may be in need of copies at some point. Do you have your computer on you?"</p>
<p>"The Laptop is in my cruiser." She replied, to which he folded his arms, glancing about. "Go get it." He ordered.</p>
<p>Undyne left the building to go retrieve her laptop. Asgore still couldn't get over what he'd seen on that hard drive- the date of Toriel's death, and the supposed name of her attacker.</p>
<p>'DEMON.'</p>
<p>He clenched his fists tight just thinking about it.</p>
<p>Now he had a name. Something specific to latch his fury onto. These were all clearly codenames of some sort. 'Demon', 'Trickster', 'Raptor', 'Psycho'... but their motives didn't make any sense. According to Papyrus, the man had simply desired to kill Papyrus, and made it clear that that was his only motive.</p>
<p>Was this just an organized group of anti-monster radicals?</p>
<p>Soon enough, Undyne returned with the laptop, the hard drive already plugged into the side. She took a seat out in the main lobby, opening up the lid of the computer. Asgore took a seat beside her, eager to see who was next.</p>
<p>But he could feel his stomach turn when the data loaded. It was a picture of Undyne in the form of a text character, and beside it was a date and another codename.</p>
<p>The date was tomorrow.</p>
<p>The codename was 'WARMTH.'</p>
<p>They were silent for a moment, before Undyne let out a sigh. "Perfect." She grinned. "I'll spend all of tomorrow at the jail house. The unused one uptown. You can be with me, and we can trap this 'Warmth' guy in a cell. Interrogate him properly before handing him over to my superiors."</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" Asgore raised an eyebrow. "As strange as these attacks are, I highly doubt these people would be foolish enough to walk into a jail house."</p>
<p>"Exactly. So it can go one of two ways- either we screw up their attack, or we get one of them in a cell. Or both. There's no way it could go wrong."</p>
<p>Slowly, Asgore nodded in agreement. "Very well." With that, he returned his attention to the computer, looking through at the different targets. There were still a lot of them, and a majority had 'GRUNT' for the word. Perhaps this was one individual, or a collective name for the lowest members of whatever caste this group had formed.</p>
<p>He found out Sans pretty quickly, the date being in four days, 'MAGNUM' beside his name, and the next he found...</p>
<p>His heart stopped.</p>
<p>Frisk. Three days from now. 'TRUCK' beside that.</p>
<p>"No," he growled, fists clenched so tightly that Undyne could see the poor guy's veins bulging, even through his fur. "Why is Frisk on this list?"</p>
<p>Undyne squinted with her one good eye, before seeing that it was true. "I... what? She's just a little girl, and she's not even a monster. Why is she here? Who the hell is Truck?"</p>
<p>"Somebody who has made a grave mistake, crossing my family." Asgore replied, his voice dark and gruff, even managing to send chills down Undyne's spine.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Almost... and... there!"</p>
<p>Alphys took a step back, having melded a plate of reinforced armor to Mettaton, before rushing toward her computer, typing in a code that sent a signal into Mettaton through the wire hooked to the back of his head.</p>
<p>With a jolt, Mettaton sat up, eyes wide, breathing deeply.</p>
<p>"Gah! Get away from-" Mettaton began, turning his head rapidly, before realizing that he wasn't in his dressing room anymore. He was sitting in Alphys's new lab...</p>
<p>"Oh, Alphys, darling, thank you for waking me. I was having the most repulsive nightmare."</p>
<p>"M-Mettaton, that wasn't a nightmare, you were attacked," Alphys informed him, sitting down. "I-I um... had to make you a new body. How do you feel?"</p>
<p>Taking the news in stride, Mettaton looked down at his form, his face screwing up in horror. "I'm a mess! A travesty! Oh dear, I feel so... so..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "<em>Naked</em>."</p>
<p>"It's okay, M-Mettaton." Alphys replied quickly. "I still haven't finished making your version two form yet. I just needed to make sure you were operational. Do you... remember what the person looked like? The one that attacked you?"</p>
<p>"Yes... yes, I remember. At first, she looked like Papyrus..."</p>
<p>"Like P-Papyrus? How is that possible? A d-disguise?"</p>
<p>"I'm not sure," Mettaton shook his head, folding his arms to try and cover himself. "Once they revealed their true form... well, it was a human girl. She had purple hair, muddy red eyes... that's about all I can seem to recall..."</p>
<p>Alphys swallowed. "I don't know anyone like that," she admitted.</p>
<p>"Well surely someone might. That maniac is still out there, prowling the streets! Poor, dear Papyrus could even be targeted next!" Mettaton exclaimed, to which Alphys twiddled her thumbs anxiously. "Erm... Mettaton... P-Papyrus was attacked. T-today..."</p>
<p>"WHAT?!" Mettaton's face scrunched up in a way Alphys had never seen before. "How long have I been...?!"</p>
<p>"A f-few days," Alphys responded. "P-Papyrus is alright, but he's in the hospital..."</p>
<p>"Well, I need to see him! Poor Papyrus is probably worried sick about me!"</p>
<p>"He is." Alphys nodded. "He stopped by twice t-today, actually..."</p>
<p>Mettaton placed a hand to where his heart would be. "Aww... really? My, he really is quite the sweetheart, isn't he?"</p>
<p>"A-anyway... I'm gonna be installing some finishing touches to your body and armor, then we'll paint you and pretty you up." Alphys informed. "You should be ready to go by tomorrow m-morning."</p>
<p>"But that's too long a wait!" Mettaton whined, laying back as Alphys rolled over a trolley with cans of paint, glitter, and pieces of metal, to complete Mettaton's new body. "T-Trust me, Mettaton, Papyrus can w-wait one more day, but I know you'd never forgive me if I let you g-go out in public like this."</p>
<p>"Touché, touché, just please try and be quick, darling," Mettaton pleaded with a sigh.</p>
<p>Almost immediately, there was a heavy knock on the door, and Mettaton eeped before grabbing the sheet at his feet, and throwing it over himself, lying still. "Don't let anybody see me!" He hissed at Alphys, who looked at her security monitors. Asgore was standing outside of her lab, and he was alone.</p>
<p>The door slid open with a whir, and the King stepped into the lab. "Dr. Alphys." He greeted his Royal Scientist. "How is the monitoring system coming along?"</p>
<p>"O-Oh, it's coming along just fine, sir, it should be ready in just a few day-" she began, before noticing the grim expression on Asgore's face. He looked infuriated, but not necessarily towards her. It was still enough to make her uncomfortable, though.</p>
<p>"I-Is something the matter?" she asked, staring up at him, to which he nodded.</p>
<p>"Undyne and I came across some disturbing information."</p>
<p>With that, he pulled a USB drive out of his pocket, handing it over to Alphys, who looked it over. "Does this have to do with... the attackers?" She asked, to which Asgore nodded slowly.</p>
<p>The scientist made her way over to her computer, sliding the drive into a component and accessed it.</p>
<p>The familiar scrawl of targets appeared. Alphys scanned it over quickly, before typing away quickly at her computer. In just seconds, a folder opened up, and now each target was listed categorically in folders. "T-these are assassination listings... how did you get this?" Alphys asked.</p>
<p>"I-" Asgore began, before Alphys gasped loudly.</p>
<p>"U-Undyne?! Tomorrow?!" she cried, looking frantically at the monster king. "Does she know?!"</p>
<p>"Yes, she knows. Please calm down, we have a plan to make sure nothing happens to her," Asgore said, which seemed to make Alphys relax, just a little bit.</p>
<p>"W-Well, how did you get this?"</p>
<p>"The original hard drive was... in Toriel's possession, before..."</p>
<p>There was a shared moment of silence before Alphys looked up at Asgore, brow creased. "That means Toriel must have known about all of this. She must have known what was coming. But... why didn't she tell anyone?"</p>
<p>"She planned to hand it off to Frisk." Asgore replied. "So that would mean Toriel knew her time was up..." Alphys muttered, staring at Toriel's folder, before clicking it open.</p>
<p>A dossier appeared, complete with all the information you could think of, even nicknames, and a recent photograph of her. There was also a detailed file of her past dating back a millennia. "Whoa..." Alphys sighed. "This... this is deep. We're not dealing with some backstreet cyber-stalkers and hired killers... this is professional work. How… how do they have information on her dating back to before the Great War?"</p>
<p>That was something Asgore had failed to consider- about Toriel knowing her time had been up, and he could feel his jaw tighten. Why hadn't Toriel told him this? Or, more importantly, Frisk? She'd clearly been doing some serious research on these attackers before they'd even begun. Why had she refrained from spreading this information? Her death, Mettaton's 'death,', Burgerpants, along with Papyrus's and his attacks could have been avoided if this information had come to light sooner. His blood was boiling, and he took a deep breath, realizing that he needed to calm down.</p>
<p>"How have they been keeping information on her for this long...?" he questioned.</p>
<p>"I'm trying to figure that out now." Alphys replied, closing the folder and typing up a storm, scrolling through hidden files within the various folders, before finally, they left the category of targets, now arriving at something highly intriguing.</p>
<p>A folder labeled 'The Messiah'.</p>
<p>Asgore and Alphys spared a glance of eye contact as they stared at the large digital screen in front of them. Alphys clicked on it, and a whole new wealth of information opened up.</p>
<p>
  <em>The Father</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Son</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Spirit</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Demon</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Psycho</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Truck</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Raptor</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Warmth</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Trickster</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Magnum</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Enlisted</em>
</p>
<p>"What the..." Alphys began, but quickly realized that they were the codenames. Asgore seemed to realize this, too, and immediately found himself wanting whatever was in the 'Truck' and 'Demon' folders. Alphys, however, instantly clicked on 'Warmth,' and was greeted with what appeared to be an article titled "Lieutenant Helios 'Warmth' Soleil."</p>
<p>"T-This is information about the people who've been... attacking," Alphys stated. "There's a lot here, too..."</p>
<p>Asgore glared at the man's leering face in the picture. A patch over his right eye, a scar extending across his face, with thick blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes. According to the dossier, he had the SOUL of Ambition.</p>
<p>"Go back." Asgore ordered. "I want to see who this Demon is."</p>
<p>"A-Alright..." Alphys said, sounding a little disgruntled at that demand, but did so anyways. She clicked on the 'Demon' folder, but nothing happened. She raised an eyebrow, right clicking the folder and selecting the 'Open' option.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Insufficient Permissions</strong>
</p>
<p>Alphys sighed. Someone had taken some extra precautions to keep that folder hidden, and she had a feeling it wasn't Toriel.</p>
<p>Suddenly, her entire screen flashed red.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Insufficient Permissions</strong>
</p>
<p>Confused, Alphys started tapping away at her keyboard, but nothing was happening, the message continuing to flash even after she backed out. "What's happening?" Asgore asked, frowning. "I-I think I'm being hacked." Alphys replied, grabbing the USB drive and yanking it out. "Take this, quickly. We're being traced!" She yelled at the king, jamming the drive into his palm. He quickly stowed it into his front chest pocket. "Where should I go?" He asked. In the scare of it all, Mettaton gave up his sleeping act, sitting up and looking at the pair in concern.</p>
<p>"Ummm... umm..." Alphys didn't respond, trying desperately to fix her computer as it went crazy, the mouse on the screen disappearing, completely locking her out of any further action. Her anti-virus was going crazy, but wasn't helping in the slightest.</p>
<p>"Just- just-" Alphys said, clearly too overwhelmed to think of a proper plan. "Oh, god, oh god, oh god, oh god..."</p>
<p>"Alphys, please, calm down, it can't be that bad," Asgore said in an attempt to make her relax, but it didn't work.</p>
<p>"T-They might know we have this information now!" Alphys cried out. Mettaton looked confused and concerned, trying to figure out what was going on.</p>
<p>"Do you really think they-" Asgore was cut off as the sound of the metal entrance door swinging open could be heard, and all eyes turned toward it.</p>
<p>"Oh Gorey~!"</p>
<p>"Oh hell..." Asgore groaned. He knew that these people wouldn't have given up on offing him so easily. And now here this woman was again, stepping slowly inside, her arms hanging limply at her side, a bit of blood trickling down her chin from god-knows-what.</p>
<p>Alphys' eyes widened at the sight of Psycho.</p>
<p>"You should not have come here," Asgore growled. He was done playing games with this group of murderers. The king wasted no time manifesting his trident, ready to battle, and Psycho seemed to realize the monster's frustration, her grin widening. Alphys ducked under a desk, Mettaton looking even more confused now, but seemed to realize the severity of the situation.</p>
<p>"You know, Gorey... I could say the same to you. And the rest of your disgusting kind." Psycho spat in return, pulling her whip out from behind her back, the weapon this time glowing in a molten orange light. "But if you think I came alone... think again~" She finished in a sing-song voice as several men filed by her, marching in and quickly forming a line, all wearing matching uniforms of black jumpsuits beneath military-grade gear, and ski-masks over their faces. "I'll be taking that drive now." Asgore raised an eyebrow. If that was all she wanted, he had no problem obliging. He really wanted to battle- not just for the sake of it, but because this woman could be useful for getting information on Demon. Nonetheless, he was outnumbered, and there were copies of the hard drive anyways.</p>
<p>"I'm willing to hand over the drive," Asgore stated, "but I have a few demands of my own."</p>
<p>"You're not in much position to be doing that, but humor me," the woman said in a teasing tone.</p>
<p>"You are to cancel your attack on Frisk."</p>
<p>"Bold of you to assume I can. Drive, Fluffybuns~"</p>
<p>Several of the men held up guns, pointed at Alphys, clearly having no qualms with firing.</p>
<p>Something wasn't right here... They had the means to kill him right now, so why weren't they? The entire situation felt completely off...</p>
<p>Finally, Asgore came to a decision, and suddenly swiped his trident just as it flashed cyan. The blast of energy that projected from it slammed into the seven individuals, all trying to dodge out of the way. "Mettaton!" Asgore called for support as he charged forward, thrusting his trident with the intent to kill. Something he'd become all too familiar with doing over the span of his life. "Oh, Gorey, you shouldn't have done that~" Psycho giggled, before a whip manifested in her hands. She cracked it at Asgore, who raised his trident to block mid-thrust. He then slammed it into her at unpredicted speed, sending Psycho into a nearby wall. Mettaton, looking slightly embarrassed, getting off of the 'operating table' to assist Asgore. A dome of orange magic appeared around Alphys- Asgore's doing- in order to protect her.</p>
<p>"Alphys, darling." Mettaton said as he picked up one of the dazed men by the scruff of his neck and punched him square in the nose. "Don't you have aggressive security installations here?"</p>
<p>"They're a-all exterior, I haven't had the t-time to do interior work!" Alphys squeaked back a reply as Psycho cracked her whip at the King again.</p>
<p>The weapon wrapped around the handle of the trident, and before she could yank it out of his hands, he tugged with greater strength, launching the woman at him. He immediately caught her by the throat with one arm, and slammed her into the wall. "<em>Who is Demon?</em>" He growled.</p>
<p>Psycho croaked, apparently valuing her breathing despite the lack of sanity. However, Asgore was physically far stronger than her, and she was unable to free herself. As Mettaton made sure to render all the men unconscious, Asgore tightened his grip.</p>
<p>Psycho was well aware of what would happen if she failed again- with backup, no less. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, dampening Asgore's fur. She said nothing.</p>
<p>"WHO IS DEMON?!" Asgore demanded again.</p>
<p>"Um... your majesty...?" Mettaton asked, dropping the sixth and final man to the floor. Asgore ignored him, the safety bubble vanishing from around Alphys as she scrambled to her feet, whipping out her phone to call Undyne and pick the men up. Terrorists would be a more accurate description of them.</p>
<p>With a yell of frustration, Asgore let go of Psycho, taking a step back and letting the woman fall weakly to the floor, coughing and sputtering, but to his great annoyance, still smiling, her eyes bloodshot and welled with tears. "You're silly, Asgore..." She croaked out. "Demon is... just another name... We are the Messiah... the only one who matters is our Father, our Son, and our Holy Spirit." She finished with several coughs.</p>
<p>"I'm more concerned about the person who killed my <em>wife</em>," Asgore growled, looking down at her. She looked completely defeated, and he felt absolutely no remorse.</p>
<p>Alphys was now on the phone with Undyne, who was likely on her way. Asgore looked down at Psycho, who was slowly getting to her knees. He was about to knock her back down, but she suddenly had a burst of speed, and was on her feet, out the door in about two seconds flat.</p>
<p>Asgore was quick, but never on his feet. He knew he wouldn't be able to track her down. However... "Mettaton." Asgore turned toward the robot. "Follow her. Please. Find out where she goes." Mettaton looked uncomfortable at the idea, and reluctant. "B-But, your majesty, I'm not... well... fully optimized for public viewing and-"</p>
<p>"That's why you're going to remain hidden. Do not let anyone see you." Asgore interrupted.</p>
<p>Mettaton looked bothered- this was the human equivalent of walking outside nude, but he cooperated, hurrying out the door to give chase to Psycho.</p>
<p>"Undyne w-will be here in a few minutes," Alphys stated. "W-What are we gonna do? They might send m-more people."</p>
<p>"Make sure your defenses are operational. I'm heading to my office." Asgore informed the scientist. "There's something I must do."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mettaton ducked and dove and flew all throughout Voxis, thanking his perfect self that Voxis was so lax at night, as the sun had since dipped below the horizon and stars filled the air. He'd managed to keep a trace on Psycho, who was as hard to follow as a snake through weeds, but thanks to his latest update of sonar hearing and infrared vision, he managed to keep up.</p>
<p>Mettaton wasn't sure if she knew she was being followed, but judging from her speed, it seemed unlikely. He was doing a good job of keeping up, this new body admittedly a lot more maneuverable than the previous one. Mettaton was already imagining all the new dance routines he could do with this newfound agility.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the signal stopped moving. Mettaton paused, ducking behind a few dumpsters. He began looking around for Psycho, fingers crossed that he hadn't been detected.</p>
<p>He was lucky. She'd entered an old apartment complex. He had lost her signature, and none of his abilities involved seeing through walls, so he'd just have to sneak his way inside as best as he could.</p>
<p>Quickly, the robot dashed toward the front entrance, weary of anybody out and about. Fortunately, not a soul was stirring.</p>
<p>Was this some kind of... base? Or was she simply hiding here to wait out the police? Mettaton had no idea, and frankly wasn't very keen on waltzing into this complex.</p>
<p>But he didn't have a choice, unfortunately. Well- he did, just not any good choices. He continued pursuing Psycho, quietly, though still wasn't aware of her location.</p>
<p>Using his new sonar enhancements, he tried to pick her out through the apartment once he entered. He could hear several different sets of feet moving about, but only one was moving quickly...</p>
<p>It seemed to be on the floor he was on, not too far from his position. Still wary of his surroundings, Mettaton made to follow, snagging a convenient heavy overcoat from a rack in the hall and throwing it on, feeling much more comfortable all of a sudden.</p>
<p>Mettaton wasn't sure what Alphys had put into this new body in terms of weaponry, so until he got the details from her, any and all self defense would have to be done with his hands and feet. There were apparently several people here, including Psycho, but who were they? Was she being chased, or had she simply come back to acquire more subordinates? Mettaton had a lot of questions as he raced through the apartment complex.</p>
<p>The sound of a distant elevator ding made him hurry his pace, and when he rounded what he counted to be the third corner, he came to a stop at a dead end. An elevator door just in front of him, the floor indicator at the time reading '0A', then '0B', then '0C', and so on until it reached '0R', and came to a stop.</p>
<p>Zero? If this was floor one, then that meant there was more to this building underneath...</p>
<p>Oh, god. The fabulous Mettaton had to be going underground for this chase, and he was definitely not happy about it. Not only was he unprepared, but he wasn't sure if they could recover his body if something happened to him again down there. Not to mention, there were numerous enemies presumably beneath. Mettaton would practically be walking into a trap.</p>
<p>Suddenly, he heard a crackle in his ear, and Alphys' voice rang in. "M-Mettaton? A-are you there?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Loud and clear, darling. I like the new sound system, I must say. And the infrared vision? Mwah! Astounding." The robot replied. "Sounds like you're doing okay... are you still following that woman?"</p>
<p>"I am! Turns out there's some underground fortress beneath some apartment complex... 'Clyde's Sleepy State' I think is what it's called. I was just wondering... what other upgrades do I have?"</p>
<p>"Y-You have enhanced strength and durability, and rockets in your feet that allow you to fly," Alphys informed him, "a-and your SOUL can shoot stronger bullets than before. N-Now, I'm going to stay in contact with you, but you have to go down there."</p>
<p>"Can't I wait for backup, darling?" Mettaton requested, not eager.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but... they may already know you're there. And if that's true, they'll be cleaning out their base and be long gone by the time the proper backup arrives." Alphys replied. "I'll use your biometric scanners to get a map of the place figured out and help navigate you."</p>
<p>Mettaton let out a sigh as he pressed the down button on the elevator. "Alright... fine."</p>
<p>"And another thing. I've installed an air distiller sensor into your modular component mainframe. Basically, that means you can detect shifts in the air itself and essentially have a precognition to incoming attacks."</p>
<p>"Well, that's good news, at least," Mettaton nodded. Sneak attacks suddenly seemed like far less of a possibility, which he was grateful for. The elevator doors slid open, and Mettaton stepped inside, wondering which floor number to select, trying to sense which one would be best.</p>
<p>When he looked at the button panel, he could only see 1-10. Odd... He'd watched plenty of mystery and detective flicks to know where this was going. He grabbed the panel as best as he could, and pulled. It slid up with ease, revealing a series of other buttons. '0A' all the way to '0S'.</p>
<p>Mettaton was quick to press the '0A' button. Not only did he want to remain in contact with Alphys, but it would probably be better to work his way from the top to the bottom. He silently wondered- had Psycho lead him to some sort of base? Someone had clearly wanted to hide these basement floors.</p>
<p>The doors slid shut with a ding, and the robot felt a sense of dread coming over him. He was nervous, to say the least. He wasn't fully optimized and completely unprepared for this type of situation.</p>
<p>However, he was getting some good ideas for a Mettaton-centric detective noir movie he could write...</p>
<p>When the door reopened, he was greeted with something completely different from the apartment complex. The floor was composed of shiny white tiles, the walls looking just as shiny and polished. It was like Alphys's old lab, but in hallway form, and with less stale ramen scent wafting through the air.</p>
<p>Mettaton took a few steps forward, noticing several doors.</p>
<p>He didn't have much interest in exploring. Actually, he held no interest in being here at all. However, he was here already. May as well see this through.</p>
<p>Mettaton made his way down the hall, keeping his sonar sensors at the max, listening for anything... but all he heard was silence. Dead silence. It was honestly creeping him out a little bit.</p>
<p>That was when he noticed the black camera in the corner, aimed at him. Thanks to the overcoat, they wouldn't know who he was- for now. But they did know he was here.</p>
<p>"Alphys, darling, I fear I've probably been detected. Can I leave now?"</p>
<p>"N-Not yet, Mettaton, you need to keep looking," Alphys said quietly. "I-I'm sorry, I know this is dangerous, but you're all we've g-got."</p>
<p>Metaton gave an exasperated sigh. Obviously, nobody was on this floor, so he decided to go for the bottom floors instead, abandoning his original idea of slowly working his way down. Mettaton returned to the elevator, noticing an irony smell as he pressed the '0R' button.</p>
<p>"Tell me, brilliant doctor, why do I need to be doing this again? Because I'm feeling like a lost tourist at the moment."</p>
<p>"I need you to find some type of command center that they have, and download all of the intel you can."</p>
<p>"Well, why didn't you lead with that, darling?" Mettaton asked, annoyed as the elevator began to descend. "Because, you-" At that exact moment, the connection was severed. Either he was too deep underground... or these terrorists were blocking the signal.</p>
<p>Mettaton instinctively began pushing more buttons to try and stop the elevator, or bring himself back up, but found that none of them were working. Either someone knew he was in there and had disabled all the buttons, or this elevator could just only take one command at a time.</p>
<p>He had a dreadful feeling that it was the former rather than the latter. The irony smell seemed to be growing stronger.</p>
<p>With a 'ding' the doors finally slid open.</p>
<p>He was immediately greeted by a wall of people. All dressed as the men who'd assaulted Alphys' lab, and all with automatic weapons aimed directly at him. Mettaton paused as the men all stared, unmoving. Slowly, the robot lifted an arm and pressed the 'door close' button.</p>
<p>Nothing happened.</p>
<p>Mettaton cleared his throat.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a bullet was fired. Mettaton braced for impact, but felt his head swerve to the side- like an instinct, almost. The wall behind him now had a bullet hole in it. How had he dodged that?</p>
<p>...It was the air distiller sensor Alphys had told him about. His precognition to incoming attacks had drastically increased, along with his agility and durability...</p>
<p>He understood now. Alphys had designed his body this way to protect him from... well, situations like this.</p>
<p>The room the elevator opened up into didn't seem to be anything special, and while he'd dodged a bullet, he wouldn't be able to dodge a storm of them. His only choice left was to flee. He felt bad for giving up so easily, but he'd already been 'killed' once. Again wasn't an option.</p>
<p>"It's been fun and all, but I really must be going." He informed the men, before rushing to the side of the elevator where the controls were, obscured from sight as the men now fully opened fire, hellfire raining down upon the elevator. The noise was unimaginably loud.</p>
<p>Mettaton raised his gaze to the ceiling. He could bust out of that, and with his new propulsion system, could fly to the top and bust out. It seemed like the best course of action for a speedy exit.</p>
<p>Mettaton's SOUL appeared- a risky but necessary move, and numerous bullets busted through the ceiling, successfully creating a gap large enough for him to fly through. Just as men began to fill the elevator, Mettaton activated his feet-jets, flying up through the hole.</p>
<p>The robot flew clumsily at first, nearly hitting the walls of the elevator shaft multiple times, before finally getting back up to the ground floor door.</p>
<p>Raising his fist, Mettaton struck the door as bullets began to fly up toward him from above. A few of them dinged off of his metallic body, before Mettaton flew through the broken elevator doorway, the jets disabling as he reached the solid ground.</p>
<p>The coat he'd swiped was now riddled with multiple bullet holes, but was still relatively fine, and he simply set it back on the hook on his way out, escaping into the night.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>ding</em>
</p>
<p>Asgore stepped out of the elevator, making his way toward his office, fumbling with the keys in his pocket for a moment before reaching the door and unlocking it. His goal was to access the drive in his pocket, and dig up as much as he could about this 'Messiah'.</p>
<p>He had to be cautious- as much as he wanted to, he couldn't go anywhere near that Demon folder. Otherwise, he'd be in hot water once again, possibly with an even stronger foe. Asgore plugged the drive into his office computer, which whirred to life. It was a slow, but reliable PC, and Asgore could appreciate the simplicity.</p>
<p>The files from before popped up on his screen. He directed his attention to the codenames, sorting things out.</p>
<p>So far, Demon had attacked Toriel...</p>
<p>Psycho had attacked him...</p>
<p>Trickster had attacked Mettaton...</p>
<p>Raptor had attacked Papyrus...</p>
<p>He'd already gotten a glimpse at Warmth, the one attacking Undyne next. His next interest was Truck. He needed to know who was targeting Frisk, then he'd get a look at Raptor, figure out how he'd dealt the kind of damage he had.</p>
<p>Then Trickster was a good one to look into next, learn how she, he, or it had tricked Mettaton into thinking it was Papyrus...</p>
<p>Then the Psycho woman. She clearly knew a lot about him, so he wanted a knowledge advantage as well.</p>
<p>Asgore double clicked on the 'Truck' folder, and was greeted with an article about another 'Lieutenant.' The photo was a lot different, and he was expecting something more intimidating. He had glasses, a somewhat genuine looking smile, shaggy brown hair, and chiseled features.</p>
<p>Honestly? He didn't look like a lieutenant of a terrorist organization in the slightest. He reminded Asgore more of a barista. Nonetheless, this man was apparently going to attempt to kill Frisk in three days, and he wanted every bit of information possible.</p>
<p>It only took about five minutes to read through the file, and the general idea of what Asgore learned was that the man had been that he was born into this Messiah, which seemed more like a cult than a terrorist organization by the second. He was naturally kind-hearted, emotional, and quite stupid. He made up for all of that with impossible strength and durability.</p>
<p>The King was quick to realize that this man was something Frisk could handle easily by her lonesome. If she'd managed to befriend Undyne in the Underground, this Joe "Truck" Bob wouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>Regardless, it wouldn't hurt to warn her about it in advance. Asgore clicked out of the file- next up was Raptor, the one who had attacked Papyrus.</p>
<p>When he opened the article, the first page was different from the others.</p>
<p>
  <strong>WARNING: Disturbing Imagery</strong>
</p>
<p>Asgore scoffed, certain it was just a bad attempt to get him not to view the information. He scrolled down, and was greeted with information on Lieutenant Draegan 'Raptor' Hyland. The image seemed normal enough- a man with slightly overgrown, but well kept dark brown hair, a halfhearted attempt at a smile, and deep green eyes.</p>
<p>Asgore began to read through the article. Raptor had apparently also been born into the Messiah, but what was all this about... experiments?</p>
<p>When he scrolled to see the next photo, his stomach did a somersault. This was what that warning had been about.</p>
<p>There was an image of a man- Raptor- chained down to a table, crying out in pain as multiple figures with lab coats and surgical masks inserted syringes and strange glowing shards directly into his green SOUL.</p>
<p>The article went on to describe the animalistic traits Raptor had received through these experiments, including feathers, talons, claws, and apparently even scales. Asgore shuddered.</p>
<p>That undoubtedly was the reasoning behind the damage inflicted on Papyrus. Asgore shook his head, backing out of the file. The Messiah continued to get more and more messed up as he read.</p>
<p>He selected the Trickster woman next. Lieutenant Bastette "Trickster" Amour. She was on the young side, and seemed quite... sadistic. She could somehow transform her appearance to mimic others, and apparently enjoyed causing heartbreak. He stopped reading when the file began discussing beheadings, and he back out.</p>
<p>Finally, it was Psycho's turn. When he clicked into her file, he was greeted with a disturbing photo of her. She was way too close to the camera, blood stains at the corners of her lips. Her grin was nearly as wide as her eyes, of which he could see a little more than he wanted to. Her real name was Minerva, and she apparently had some sort of blood obsession.</p>
<p>Psycho was also severely unstable, but he already knew that much just from two interactions with the woman. She was a year older than Raptor, and also born into the Messiah.</p>
<p>A lot of these people seemed to have been raised into this cult, not recruited, and it was disturbing.</p>
<p>He backed out, letting out a deep sigh. What had this been like for Toriel? Had she learned all of this? Or had she only learned of her own assassination? He hadn't a clue how she managed to discover the Messiah before the killings, but it was thanks to her that they'd be brought down. One way or another.</p>
<p>In her name.</p>
<p>Another name caught his eye, and he moved his cursor to click on it.</p>
<p>Magnum.</p>
<p>Her real name was Trinity- though her last name had been redacted for some reason. She was only eighteen years old- just barely older than Frisk- and had also been born into the Messiah. She was a young girl with pink hair, and a genuine, happy-go-lucky smile. Magnum didn't look like a terrorist, similar to Truck, but she was apparently set to kill Sans. The article repeatedly mentioned her father being one of the 'leaders,' but didn't mention him by name.</p>
<p>Now seemed as good a time as any to check out the three obvious leaders.</p>
<p>The Father. The Son. The Spirit.</p>
<p>It was obvious this cult was banking off of Christianity, adopting the Messiah as their name, leaders being the holy trinity...</p>
<p>He figured he'd start small, work his way up, and clicked on the Son.</p>
<p>Asgore half expected the insufficient permissions notification to appear, but he was luckily greeted with another article.</p>
<p>Krashna 'The Son' Mylis, previously known as 'Disaster.' Asgore frowned when he read that the boy was only fifteen years old, and the photo seemed to support this. Despite the emotionless expression on the boy's face, he was undoubtedly a young teenager. He had slightly spiky white hair, and golden eyes that made Asgore feel uneasy. He looked awfully familiar...</p>
<p>He began to read. The article stated that Krashna's SOUL of Unity was extremely rare, and also dangerous. It was also something that was shared with his parents, who'd been murdered because of their potential. Due to this, Krashna was raised by the Messiah, who had helped him unlock his frightening potential when he was ten years old.</p>
<p>Asgore couldn't help but feel bad for this child, but also felt incredibly uncomfortable. He knew he'd seen this boy before.</p>
<p>The next file, belonging to the Spirit, was of Nikolai "The Spirit" Vaspetin, previously known as 'Wendigo'. He barely had anything listed aside from being Russian, with a love for vodka, and the SOUL of animosity. There wasn't even an image of him.</p>
<p>So Asgore went to the last person he could view. The Father.</p>
<p>His cursor hovered over the folder, but just before he could click, a dark figure appeared in his doorway, the light from the hallway casting a shadow over the king and obscuring the figure's face.</p>
<p>"Er... can I help you?" Asgore asked. The figure made no response, instead reaching into what seemed to be his dress suit-</p>
<p>
  <em>BAM!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>BAM!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>BAM!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>BABAM!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>BAM!</em>
</p>
<p>Asgore felt nothing but pain as he fell backward out of his rolling chair, landing on the hard floor with a dull and heavy thud. His vision blurred as he watched the hazy figure march into the room, grab the hard drive, take his computer, and smash the window with it before throwing it out into the night air.</p>
<p>Eyelids feeling heavy, Asgore could no longer hold his head up, and let it fall back, slipping into the realm of the unconscious...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. "City of Lies"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The enemy nearly known, war is close to breaking out between monsterkind and the Messiah, but the threat has only just begun.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="xcontrast">
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>
        <strong>
          <em>Long Ago…</em>
        </strong>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>A gentle, yet icy breeze gusted its way through the window, the wooden shutters flapping slightly, attached to cold stone. Despite the chilly temperatures, the day was rather pleasant. Clear blue skies, the sun shining brightly down upon the Kingdom of Hopes.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Beside this open window was a large oak desk, a lit candle sitting at the head of it, casting a soft orange glow on a map splayed out across its surface. Standing at this desk were two young, haughty men. The recently appointed King Asgore, and his newly anointed Royal Seer, Wing Ding Gaster.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Derek is likely to strike from here... and here." Gaster informed the King, pointed at two particular spots on the map, which Asgore studied, brow furrowed. "Hm... that does seem like something he would do... would you recommend more defense or offense in the coming battle?"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Defense." Gaster replied simply, folding his hands behind his back. "For as a wise man once told me, a good defense is an even better offense." The scientist smirked. Remembering the line that he too had once heard, Asgore let out a chuckle. "Yeah... father sure had a way with words." He sighed, head beginning to droop. "You'll make him proud, Asgore." Gaster assured, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "His death won't have been in vain."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>They were interrupted when the doors to the chambers opened with a loud creak, the head of a young and beautiful monster sticking itself inside. "Am I interrupting?" Toriel asked. "Not at all, your highness. I was just about to leave." Gaster replied with a warm smile. "Oh, don't leave on my account, Wingy. You're welcome to stay."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Ah, such a tempting offer, but seeing my two best friends mooching on each other requires a stomach that I don't possess." Gaster replied cheekily as Toriel entered the room. "You don't have a stomach." She stated.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"My point exactly. Your excellencies." With a deep bow that appeared to make Asgore a little uncomfortable, Gaster made his way out of the room. "I hate it when he does that." Asgore told Toriel once the door was closed. The Queen wrapped her arms around Asgore's torso and rested her cheek against his back, sighing softly. "That's why he does it." She replied as Asgore raised one hand to rest on hers, his other grabbing a quill and dipping it in ink, marking the territories Gaster had pointed out.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I've missed you, Gorey~" Toriel told the King, her voice light and loving. "But you were just here...?" Asgore frowned, his mind preoccupied with the war.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Yes? And I left. Now I'm back. Turn around and face me, Dreemurr." Toriel demanded, letting go of Asgore and taking a step back. Asgore let out a humored sigh, and set the quill down. "Alright, alright. I'll try to ignore our impending doom and the safety of our kingdom for one hour. You get me all to yourself. For just one."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Toriel smiled up at him, her gaze deep in his, her hands finding his own and holding onto them. Leaning in, her voice was but a whisper.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I love you, Asgore."</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Toriel's voice lingered on his mind, her scent still fresh in his nose... with a smile, Asgore opened his eyes and was greeted by a white paneled ceiling. Confused, he slowly sat up, and found that his chest was stinging in several areas, like large needles were being shoved into his body.</p>
      <p>His happiness evaporated as his mind returned to the present, and everything came rushing back. The last thing he'd remembered...</p>
      <p>He'd been shot.</p>
      <p>Slowly, Asgore reached down, and pulled down the blanket covering his form on the hospital bed. He wasn't wearing a hospital gown, but he was heavily bandaged. He counted six damp spots seeping through the bandages, presumably some type of ointment to boost the magical healing of his body. Six bullet holes...</p>
      <p>How long had he been out?</p>
      <p>Unable to stand sitting up any longer, Asgore rested himself back down, finding that he was having trouble breathing, and his heart was hammering a mile a minute in his chest.</p>
      <p>Nobody was in the room with him, but he could easily ring up a nurse and ask the proper question-</p>
      <p>His thoughts were interrupted by the flushing of a toilet. Asgore paused, staring at the bathroom door. A sink ran, then in a few seconds, the door opened and out stepped...</p>
      <p>Terrence. His usually well-kempt blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and he had some noticeable stubble growing on his chin. He too froze when his orange eyes locked with Asgore's crimson ones.</p>
      <p>"You're awake!" Terrence grinned. "Oh man... Frisk is gonna be so relieved. We've been here all night since it happened. She just went out to get some coffee and breakfast. Some other people stopped by, too. Sans, Undyne, Alphys, and they said Mettaton will be by soon for a photoshoot or something. Papyrus is let out today, so he'll probably visit you too and-"</p>
      <p>"Terrence." Asgore interrupted, his voice hoarse. The boy bit his lip, scratching the back of his head. "Er, sorry... I'm tired and... well... it's good that you're okay."</p>
      <p>Asgore blinked wearily, still taking in his surroundings and processing what was happening. That hadn't been a dream- he'd been researching those files on the lieutenants of... that cult-like Messiah bunch, was it? Yes, yes... the hard drive had been swiped. One of the last dreadful sights he'd seen as he drifted in and out of consciousness...</p>
      <p>That drive had contained the people's true names, their histories, their targets...</p>
      <p>The days of the attacks...</p>
      <p>Asgore shot up in bed. "HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN OUT?!" he demanded, suddenly taken over by panic. He was greeted with silence, and looked down at Terrence, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.</p>
      <p>"Er- sorry, sorry... just... how long?"</p>
      <p>"Um... like, a day," Terrence replied, taking a seat in a chair that was next to the restroom door. "The doctors said you wouldn't wake up for about two, so... this is cool. Uh, also, you probably shouldn't be moving around..."</p>
      <p>Asgore winced, laying back down. The alarm clock beside the bed read 10:25 AM, meaning Undyne hadn't been attacked yet. He let out a sigh of relief, before giving Terrence a funny look.</p>
      <p>"You've really been here all night?*"</p>
      <p>"'Course I have. What, can't a guy be worried about his girlfriend's dad?"</p>
      <p>"No, no, it's nice, actually," Asgore said, chuckling lightly, but it made his wounds flinch a bit. "I think you and Frisk are a good match, you know."</p>
      <p>"You mean it?" Terrence asked, a sparkle in his eyes.</p>
      <p>Asgore nodded. "Speaking of Frisk... how is she?"</p>
      <p>"Well, she's, uh... she was crying a lot, didn't sleep a wink. I'm sure she'll feel better to see you're awake, though."</p>
      <p>Asgore couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at hearing about Frisk's crying over him. If he hadn't been so reckless to find out more about Toriel's killer... perhaps he could have avoided being hurt at all. Frisk had already suffered enough grief at Toriel's death... she didn't need any more.</p>
      <p>"Make sure you take her home to get some sleep." Asgore told Terrence. "After she sees me, of course."</p>
      <p>"Of course. You can count on me, Mr. D," Terrence grinned.</p>
      <p>"Mr. Dreemurr is preferable," Asgore replied. "But thank you. I appreciate it," he added.</p>
      <p>Just then, Asgore heard a light knock at the door. The knob turned, opening, and there stood a nurse. Behind her was Frisk, who was holding a large coffee cup. She looked awful- eyes slightly puffy and red from crying, and obviously sleep deprived. It took her a few seconds to process that Asgore was awake, and when she did, she nearly dropped her coffee.</p>
      <p>"Good morning, Mr. Dree-"</p>
      <p>"DAD!"</p>
      <p>The nurse was interrupted as Frisk rushed by her, thrusting the coffee into Terrence's arms before throwing her arms around Asgore's neck and hugging him tightly. He winced slightly, but put an arm around her and held her snuggly back. "It's so good to see you, my child." He told her. "I'm so sorry I've put you through this."</p>
      <p>The nurse slowly approached as Frisk let out a sea of tears into Asgore- though, unlike the previous night, these were tears of joy and relief. She didn't even question why she was apologizing- she was just glad he was okay. After about thirty long seconds, she pulled away.</p>
      <p>"I'm so glad you're okay." She told her adopted father, rubbing tears out of her face with her sleeves as Asgore gave her a warm smile. "Likewise, Frisk." He gave her a pat on the shoulder before leaning back on the bad, wincing as he did so.</p>
      <p>"I'm going to have to ask you two to leave." The nurse informed Terrence and Frisk. "I'll be changing his bandages now."</p>
      <p>Asgore turned to Frisk with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Frisk. We can talk again soon- but for now, I need you to get some sleep. I'm having Terrence take you home."</p>
      <p>Frisk looked reluctant. She'd just gotten her dad back, and now she had to leave again. The nurse was waiting for them to go, appearing impatient. Frisk sighed. "Okay. Bye, dad. Promise I can come back soon?"</p>
      <p>"You're welcome anytime, my child," Asgore chuckled. "Just get some rest, alrighty?"</p>
      <p>Frisk nodded. "I will. I love you, dad."</p>
      <p>"I love you more, my child."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Exhausted, Frisk plopped down onto the couch in her living room with a sigh, closing her eyes. Not a moment later, Terrence dropped down beside her, leaning his head back. "Okay... game plan." Frisk told him. "Er... what do you mean?"</p>
      <p>"I mean, what are we gonna do to stop these people? Three attacks on Asgore already, and he's super lucky to have survived. Mettaton, Papyrus... Not to mention those they've already killed." She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Terrence. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for anyone else to die."</p>
      <p>"Uh... Frisk, I know how important this is and all, but... you need to take care of yourself, too," Terrence said, scratching the back of his head.</p>
      <p>"What are you talking about?" Frisk asked, cocking her head to the side.</p>
      <p>"What I'm talking about is that you didn't sleep at all last night. You really need to rest."</p>
      <p>"That can wait. Right now, we have to think of a plan. I can sleep once people stop getting hurt."</p>
      <p>"Well... alright, how about... you take a nap, and I come up with the plan," Terrence suggested.</p>
      <p>"That's sweet and all, but... I'm worried," Frisk stated, closing her eyes. "Worried that when I wake up, it'll be to the news that someone else has been hospitalized, or worse. Besides, you didn't sleep last night either."</p>
      <p>"...Touché," Terrence said, biting the inside of his cheek. "So... I'm assuming we can't go to the police for help. If they wanted to do anything, they would have already done it."</p>
      <p>"Undyne said she's on her own in this." Frisk replied with a shrug. "You know what I think? I think this goes deeper than just some organization. What if these people have like... a lot of control? What if even the mayor is involved?"</p>
      <p>"Like the illuminati? Then don't you think they'd have done something sooner?" Terrence asked. At this, Frisk paused, wracking her brain to think of a solution to this problem. "...Maybe... they didn't think the integration would come so far? Maybe they thought we'd be rejected." Terrence noticed how Frisk had said 'we' about monsters, but said nothing about it. "Or maybe they've spent all this time planning and preparing." He suggested. His girlfriend gave a nod. "Yeah... maybe..."</p>
      <p>At that moment, Terrence's phone buzzed. Tiredly, he dug it out of his pocket and looked at the contact ID. His eyes widened. "Whoa. Hey Frisk? Guess who just texted me?"</p>
      <p>"Hm?" The girl asked, resting comfortably against the couch. "Greg." He told her. She sat up, brow creasing. "What'd he say?"</p>
      <p>"Just that he's home." Terrence replied.</p>
      <p>"Wow, nothing else?" Frisk asked. Terrence handed her the phone, and sure enough, the text message from Greg simply read, 'I'm home.' No explanation as to where he'd been, or any acknowledgement of the twelve worried messages Terrence had previously sent.</p>
      <p>"How... how are you gonna reply?" Frisk asked, to which Terrence ran a hand through his hair.</p>
      <p>"I, uh... well... I could ask him how he's doing, or..."</p>
      <p>"Wait... how come he only texted you?" Frisk asked, suddenly realizing that she hadn't received a reply. "Doesn't he know I'm worried, too?"</p>
      <p>"Maybe it's a really old message that just went through because of bad connection," Terrence suggested, but Frisk didn't think so. "We could go check up on him to make sure."</p>
      <p>"But sleep." Terrence pouted, jutting out his lower lip. "Nope." She replied, quickly leaning in and pecking his cheek with her lips before bounding up off the couch with newfound energy. "C'mon. He's our friend. Even if he can be a butt sometimes." She offered Terrence a hand, who let out a defeated sigh. "Oh, alright." He replied, taking her hand and getting up. "The bus we took here from the hospital isn't exactly going to be back for about an hour."</p>
      <p>"Greg's isn't that far. We can walk. Wake us up a little." Frisk replied.</p>
      <p>"Yeah, that's true... think he'll be happy to see us?" Terrence asked, sounding somewhat hopeful. He was as excited to see Greg as she was, but had a lousy way of expressing it. "No doubt. He probably missed us like crazy," Frisk smiled, sounding incredibly optimistic. For a second there, it almost seemed like she hadn't missed out on sleeping. Terrence could only imagine how he'd react if two exhausted looking teenagers with unkempt hair showed up at his doorstep. Greg was in for a real treat.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>knock knock knock</em>
      </p>
      <p>Frisk and Terrence stood outside of Greg's house, the stench of smoke already hitting their noses. There were several moments of silence before the sound of footsteps thudding could be heard, and the door opened.</p>
      <p>There stood Greg, looking healthier than usual, his hair just as unkempt as theirs, a new pair of much cleaner glasses sat on his face. He was wearing a too-large white t-shirt, red plaid pajama bottoms, and a pair of white bunny slippers. "Hey!" He greeted, and clearly wasn't able to hold back a smile. "I was figurin' you guys would come over."</p>
      <p>Immediately, Frisk grabbed Greg and pulled him into a tight hug. Gregory appeared surprised for a moment as he was squeezed a little tighter than he would have liked, before she pulled away, and thusly punched him in his shoulder. "Ow!" He took a step back, rubbing his shoulder. "You don't call, you don't text, you don't even leave us a message and you're gone for ten days!? We were worried about you Greg!" Frisk let him know. With each word, the boy seemed to shrink, his smile fading as he flinched at his name.</p>
      <p>"Okay... okay... I owe you guys an apology."</p>
      <p>"And an explanation." Terrence added. Greg nodded. "Yeah, that too, I just... I'm sorry guys. I am, it's just... I needed some time off, y'know? I needed to get away from... well... everything..."</p>
      <p>Frisk frowned, wondering what that meant. Greg had initially looked happy to see them, but now he almost looked... ashamed. It made her feel kind of bad, but at the same time, she was still a bit bothered that he hadn't talked to them in ten days.</p>
      <p>"Um... you guys wanna come in?" Greg offered, but both of the visitors were immediately struck with looks of hesitance due to the poorly kept house and the horrid, smokey stench.</p>
      <p>Greg nodded. "Yeah, I don't blame you guys. Uh... well, I don't really wanna tell you everything out here on the porch..."</p>
      <p>"How about a trip to Grillby's?" Terrence suggested. Greg gave a reluctant smile. "Yeah... yeah, that sounds amazing."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Oh mam..." Greg muttered through a mouthful of burger. "I miffed bif..."</p>
      <p>"So... where have you been?" Frisk asked. Gregory swallowed his bite, and set his burger down. "It's been... well, I was... I went up to Unitropolis and uh... Lightway University is interested in having me." He told them, biting his lip.</p>
      <p>"Huh. So that's what that pamphlet thingy was about," Terrence nodded, taking a sip of lemonade. Gregory had a confused look on his face. "How did you... wait, did you go in my room?" he asked.</p>
      <p>"Uh... yeah. I went to check on you, and your front door was open. Sorry."</p>
      <p>"You didn't touch my encyclopedias, did you?"</p>
      <p>"No."</p>
      <p>"Then it's fine," Greg nodded. "So, uh... the reason I didn't call or text… One. I have a crap phone and no mobile data. You know that. Two. I was..." He paused, pursing his lips before clearing his throat. "I wasn't sure what you guys would think. About it. I mean... I know you'd be happy for me, but... I don't know. I thought maybe for some reason we wouldn't be friends anymore if you knew I was leaving. I... had opportunities to reply, I'll admit, but... Gosh... I'm sorry, guys. I really am. As smart as I am I really don't have the best judgement, do I?" He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, his gaze on the table.</p>
      <p>"You thought we wouldn't be friends anymore?" Terrence squinted, before shaking his head. "Well, I... I mean, obviously I'd still want to be friends with you if you went off to Lightway."</p>
      <p>Frisk nodded in agreement, placing both hands on the table. "Greg, you know the three of us will still be friends no matter where you go, right?"</p>
      <p>Greg blinked, before a small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks, guys... but... I don't know. I might just stay put in High School for now."</p>
      <p>Both Terrence and Frisk's eyes widened. "Wait, really?" Terrence asked, leaning forward. "Dude, this is like, a huge opportunity!"</p>
      <p>"I know. But I can't leave. Especially not now." Gregory glanced around nervously, before leaning in. "Something freaky happened just before I texted you guys. Like, a few hours before but... have you ever heard of the Messiah?" He whispered.</p>
      <p>"You mean like Jesus?" Terrence asked, before taking a sip of lemonade.</p>
      <p>"I- no. I mean a group called the Messiah that's been..." Gregory's voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned closer to them. "A group that's been attacking monsters."</p>
      <p>"Is that what those people call themselves?" Frisk asked curiously. Did Greg have some kind of information on the Messiah? Or... had another attack happened that she hadn't heard about?</p>
      <p>"They um... were at my house." Gregory explained. "Talking to my mom. They were asking about me. A big buff guy with long hair and some kid I didn't get a good look at. Apparently my mom knows the guy talking to her really well too it was..." He was talking faster with each word, and paused to catch his breath, throwing an anxious glance about the bar.</p>
      <p>"It was terrifying. It really was. They said that Undyne was getting attacked today, and that she needed to get me ready."</p>
      <p>"Ready? Wait, wait, what? Undyne's getting-" Frisk found herself with a lot of questions. "Did they give her the details? Why would you need to get ready? Are you in danger? Is Undyne going to be okay? When is this happening? We have to warn her!"</p>
      <p>"I- okay, please slow down," Greg asked. "Maybe we should go somewhere more, um... private."</p>
      <p>"No." Frisk shook her head, glancing around. "Only us and monsters. We're fine. I'm not budging until you tell me every last detail."</p>
      <p>Greg's eyes were wide as he stared at Frisk. Rarely did he see her determination clearly in her eyes and this was one of those moments. "I... okay..." He nodded slowly. "Okay... um... my mom is... apparently... part of the Messiah." He stated. "And... they want... me in it..."</p>
      <p>"WH-" Terrence unfortunately received this news mid-lemonade swallow, and shuddered as the liquid slowly made its way down his esophagus in the most uncomfortable way imaginable. Frisk patted him on the back, before looking at Greg with a serious gaze.</p>
      <p>"You... your mom is part of the group that's been killing monsters?"</p>
      <p>"I... I guess so. I don't think she's personally... you know..."</p>
      <p>"You're not gonna join, though... right?" Frisk asked, voice quivering.</p>
      <p>"What kind of a question is that?" Greg asked, looking incredulous. "Of course not! I mean... can you imagine me. <em>Me</em>. Killing monsters? Or killing in general?"</p>
      <p>"He's... got a point." Terrence coughed.</p>
      <p>"Seriously. I want no part of this Messiah." Gregory stated. "But if you guys are working to stop it, which I know you definitely are... I want in. I heard what happened. And after Toriel... it's sick."</p>
      <p>"But wouldn't that put you in danger?" Frisk asked, looking concerned. Obviously, she didn't want him to join the Messiah, but she also didn't want him getting targeted by the Messiah. Would they even have any qualms with killing humans? She didn't know, and didn't want to find out.</p>
      <p>"I'll be fine," Gregory shook his head. "My mom isn't going to pressure me to do this until I absolutely have to make a decision. We're in the clear- for now."</p>
      <p>"Thank you, Greg." Frisk smiled at her friend. Greg smiled back, before looking around once again. "So uh... you guys <em>do</em> have a game plan... right?" He asked.</p>
      <p>"We were actually in the middle of that when you texted," Terrence replied, seeming to have recovered from his lemonade attack. "We don't really have any ideas just yet, but we were... theorizing."</p>
      <p>"Okay. Well, big brain boi is here. Time to put your theories to use. What do we got?" Greg asked. "Well, we weren't sure until you just told us Undyne is the next target. So our plan right now? Find her and stick close to her until the day's through."</p>
      <p>"Aw man..." Terrence sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Another sleepless night..."</p>
      <p>"It'll be worth it to save Undyne's life," Frisk replied.</p>
      <p>"Are you sure Undyne would even accept our help?" Terrence frowned. "I mean, sure, she'd probably appreciate us letting her know, but she might be like, 'help? From you three? Hah! I can kick any attacker's ass on my own! Ngaaaaahhh!'"</p>
      <p>"That <em>does </em>kind of sound like her..." Frisk admitted. "But it still couldn't hurt to try."</p>
      <p>"Plus, she likes Frisk." Greg added. "So... that's all we have right now? Who all has been attacked? I only heard about how Asgore was in the hospital. It's... not too bad is it?"</p>
      <p>"Asgore will live." Frisk replied. "Papyrus and Mettaton were attacked too, but they're fine now. The only other death so far has been Burgerpants."</p>
      <p>"Who?"</p>
      <p>"The depressed guy at McOswald's."</p>
      <p>"Oh... dang..." Greg shook his head.</p>
      <p>"Yeah. They would have killed Papyrus, too, if Undyne and Asgore hadn't showed up. Mettaton only pulled through because Alphys was able to build him a new body."</p>
      <p>Greg frowned, looking concerned. "Well, um... they sound dangerous. Not that I ever had any doubts."</p>
      <p>"That's why we need to stop them. I don't want to waste anymore time. I'm gonna call Undyne."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>She was in absolute hell.</p>
      <p>Complete agony.</p>
      <p>Undyne wanted nothing more than to leave.</p>
      <p>She hated being bored. With nothing to do. Nobody to talk to. She was left pacing the halls of the old abandoned jailhouse, kicking loose rocks here or there. It was dark inside, but that didn't bother her much. Her eyes were designed to see in the dark.</p>
      <p>She wanted to scream in rage. There was just so much on her mind, so much in her life, so many problems she couldn't fix because she was dealing with other ones... she felt like she'd explode, and now, here, with the time to think about it... she just wanted to stop thinking about it all.</p>
      <p>Originally, this had seemed like a much better plan. Asgore was supposed to be here with her, but instead, the poor old fluffball had landed in the hospital. Now she was here- alone- for the rest of the day. The jailhouse had literally no way for one to amuse themselves, which was actually probably proof of good detainment design, but mighty inconvenient for her.</p>
      <p>Just when Undyne was prepared to slam her head against the cold, brick wall, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She removed the small device- one she admittedly wasn't fond of, but it came in handy. The sides of the screen were slightly cracked, but it was still functional. She clicked the 'answer' button when she saw that it was Frisk calling.</p>
      <p>"HEY!" Undyne greeted loudly, feeling relief wash over her. "How's it going, punk?"</p>
      <p><em>"Undyne, you're in danger. Where are you?"</em> The girl immediately replied. Undyne cocked a brow, and shifted the phone to her other ear. "Yeah? What makes you think that?"</p>
      <p>
        <em>"The Messiah. They've targeted you for the next assassination. Today."</em>
      </p>
      <p>"Where did you hear that at?" Undyne inquired. Frisk was supposed to be out of the loop. She was just a kid and didn't need to be worrying about this crap. Had Asgore muttered something in his sleep? Did Frisk have her own drive?</p>
      <p>"I, uh... that's not important right now. But what is important is that you're in trouble. Can you tell us where you are so we can-"</p>
      <p>"Look," Undyne cut the girl off with a heavy sigh. She would have pinched the bridge of her nose if she had one. "Frisk, I get that you're worried about me, but I can take care of myself. You're just... a kid. You went through enough drama with all that ambassador crap, and... what happened underground. Don't try and get involved in this, alright? Trust me. I'll be fine."</p>
      <p>And with that, she promptly hung up the call. It seemed cold, but Undyne really did just want what was best for the human.</p>
      <p>And with that, she returned to her hours of boredom, shuffling down the silent halls by her lonesome.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"...She already knows." Frisk stated, closing her phone. "She does?" Terrence frowned. His girlfriend nodded. "Somehow... I think she and Asgore were uncovering what Toriel found. Who's ready to see my dad again?"</p>
      <p>"Me. Also, Greg, just so it doesn't weird you out when you see it randomly, uh... Frisk and I are back together." Terrence informed Greg as the boy stood. He only shrugged in reply. "Surprised it took you this long." He admitted, stuffing his burger into his mouth and letting it hang there as he slipped on his jacket.</p>
      <p>Terrence left a tip on the table for Fuku, and with that, the three left the restaurant. Frisk was quietly going over the hospital scenario in her head- what would she even say? 'Hey, Dad, can you give me the details on that terrorist organization you've been researching?'</p>
      <p>"Hey, uh, you and Asgore aren't gonna like... argue, right?" Terrence asked. She turned her head to see that he wore a nervous expression, likely just from the thought of that conflict.</p>
      <p>"I hope not," Frisk admitted. "I'm hoping that he'll just be honest with me about it."</p>
      <p>But as they entered the street, they suddenly found it was... strangely deserted. Not a soul was in sight. Which was strange, as during their four years of walking out of Grillby's they'd always been greeted by the sight of at least one person.</p>
      <p>The street was silent, and Frisk was the first to catch onto it, feeling unsettled. "Okay. Something isn't right." She commented.</p>
      <p>"There some kind of message we didn't get...?" Greg asked, swallowing. He couldn't think of a reason why it was like this. After all, it was about 2 PM on a Saturday. There should have been plenty of people out and about.</p>
      <p>"Uh... maybe everyone's gathered somewhere else," Terrence shrugged. "But we should probably still be headed to the hospital. We can ask someone there about it."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, let's-" Frisk was cut off when a blast of orangish-brown light suddenly struck her in the chest dead-center. It was almost like slow motion as her body was lifted into the air, before her form was flung across the street.</p>
      <p>"WHAT THE HELL!" Terrence and Gregory both yelled in unison as two men suddenly ran out onto the street, faces covered by ski masks, donning military-grade gear, automatic rifles raised at the two teens as a hulking figure stepped out of an alleyway, his face a twisted grimace.</p>
      <p>Frisk frowned, before it suddenly dawned on her what was happening. Was... she being attacked? Right now, Greg and Terrence were being held at gunpoint, and this towering figure who'd locked eyes with her looked unfriendly.</p>
      <p>"Frisk!" she heard Terrence shout, but the masked men shot some muffled threats toward him, which made him shut his mouth.</p>
      <p>Frisk clambered up to her feet as the tower of a man stomped his way to her. He was easily Asgore's size, maybe even bigger, and undoubtedly taller. She had no idea the human body was capable of such mass, and it all seemed to be muscle.</p>
      <p>The masked men marched their way to Terrence and Gregory, and before either boy knew what was going on, they'd both received knocks to their heads from the butts of the rifles, and fell to the ground, knocked out.</p>
      <p>The man had bronze eyes, and saucers for hands as he raised one, a ball of bronze energy appearing in his palm. "Say night night." He grunted.</p>
      <p>Frisk had initially been willing to talk this out, but when Terrence and Greg hit the ground, she could feel her jaw grow tight. They must have been hit hard to get knocked out like that, and that wasn't something she was willing to overlook. The man reeled back, before throwing the orb like a fastball. Frisk dodged to the side just in time as it smashed its way through a brick wall. She swallowed, intimidated- she could not get hit by something like that. Luckily, the armed men seemed glad to stay out of this behemoth's path, so Frisk only had to focus on one opponent.</p>
      <p>"Stop moving." He told her, and threw another ball of energy.</p>
      <p>And another.</p>
      <p>And another.</p>
      <p>Frisk was quickly catching on to the fact that this guy wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. His speech was slow, his attacks repetitive... willing forth her power of Determination, she dove in front of Greg and Terrence, slamming her fist onto the asphalt street. A wall of red erupted in front of her, separating the behemoth and his men from Frisk and her boys.</p>
      <p>"Don't," the man grumbled, another ball appearing in his hand. He threw it twice as hard at Frisk, but it merely bounced right back off of the DT barrier. The man's reaction time also seemed to be dreadfully poor, since he made no movement as the ball came right back toward him. It drilled the poor sap right in the nose, causing him to stumble backwards. The two men looked at each other as if to say 'can you believe this guy?'</p>
      <p>"OW!" The man roared, and raised his arms before slamming them into the ground.</p>
      <p>Frisk wobbled where she stood, astonished at the inhuman, brute strength this man possessed. Quickly, she stood, her shield wrapping itself around Greg and Terrence, forming a bubble around them that lifted into the air.</p>
      <p>"Why are you here?" Frisk asked, reaching behind her back, and appearing to pull out a crimson greatsword as it materialized in her hands.</p>
      <p>"To get rid of you!" the man stated, slamming his fists into the ground again. The two masked men took this as a sign to run, apparently not wanting to be near this guy when he was angry.</p>
      <p>"You're with the Messiah, aren't you?" Frisk narrowed her eyes. That meant he probably knew who had killed Toriel and Burgerpants, and attacked her friends. She knew fully well that this guy hadn't killed Toriel. She was far too intelligent to go down to... this guy.</p>
      <p>"So what?" the man huffed, a ball of bronze appearing in each palm. "Just be quiet and let me get rid of-"</p>
      <p>Frisk thrusted one hand forward, and the barrier suddenly flew forward, nearly knocking the man off of his feet.</p>
      <p>Seemed he had poor balance.</p>
      <p>Balance that he managed to regain. "Stop it!" He yelled aggressively, and threw one of the bronze spheres. Not that long ago, she'd been faced with similar projectiles with a greatsword in-hand.</p>
      <p>Running off of muscle memory and previous skill, Frisk slashed upward. The ball was split down the middle, and erupted in a flash of brilliant orange light. He threw the other, and she gave it the same treatment. "Why are the Messiah killing monsters!" She demanded, huffing slightly. She was a little rusty after so long since she'd used her power, but it was all still fluid to her.</p>
      <p>"Because you are all bad!" The man shouted in reply, preparing two more balls of SOUL energy. She hadn't seen bronze SOULs before, but it may be what's granting him such inhuman power.</p>
      <p>"What are you talking about?!" Frisk demanded. "There's no reason for you to say that! The monsters haven't hurt anyone! You Messiah people are killing for no good reason!" she shouted, raising her greatsword as she awaited another attack.</p>
      <p>"But... monsters are bad!" the man countered slowly. "Goldy boy said so!"</p>
      <p>"Who?" Frisk frowned, but didn't have much time to think about it as three more bronze orbs came flying towards her. She simply held the sword in front of her, splitting each of the orbs and causing them to vanish in small flashes of bronze.</p>
      <p>"Don't you realize how wrong this is?" Frisk yelled. The last time she'd been this aggressive with an opponent was... well... a long time ago. Years ago, in fact.</p>
      <p>"It's not wrong. It's right," the man said, folding his arms. A larger orb was beginning to grow above him.</p>
      <p>"No, it's not! Don't you know what you're doing?! You're taking monsters and separating them from their friends and family! They have feelings and emotions too!"</p>
      <p>"Monsters don't have feelings!" The hulking man bellowed, hurling the much larger sphere toward Frisk, whose greatsword transformed, morphing into a large crescent shield, blocking the attack that erupted against it. The force was enough to skid Frisk back on her feet as she grit her teeth.</p>
      <p>While she'd been dealing with that, the man had taken the liberty of ripping a light pole out of the ground and hefting it like a baseball bat. "Monsters only take!"</p>
      <p>"That's not true!" Frisk fired back. "Monsters don't just take! Monsters can give, just like humans! My mom was a monster, and she took me in when I had nowhere else to go!"</p>
      <p>The man appeared to be listening, but manifested another bronze orb regardless, hitting it at her with his bar like a baseball. "Touchdown!" he shouted as the orb attempted to drill its way through her shield, but ultimately dissipated.</p>
      <p>"And then the Messiah took her from me!" Frisk continued, tears welling up in her eyes. "Then my dad, who's also a monster, took me in! And you tried to kill him, too!"</p>
      <p>In a burst of emotion, Frisk swiped her arm violently, and a wave of scarlet energy blasted out of her form, dissipating her shield and slugging into the man, who attempted to swing the light post through it to no avail. He was lifted off his feet and thrown into a building a couple meters behind him, the brick wall cracking behind him.</p>
      <p>However, he seemed to barely have felt it, clambering back to his feet, his face now showing concern. "Is your dad okay?" He asked earnestly.</p>
      <p>"She's trying to manipulate you!"</p>
      <p>"She's tricking you!"</p>
      <p>"Take her out before she hurts you!"</p>
      <p>The two Messiah men began to shout at the hulk of a man. Clearly this behemoth was as soft as he was dumb.</p>
      <p>"No! He's not okay!" Frisk shouted, but it was more so in the heat of the moment than it was in anger. "He's in the hospital! He got shot six times, and I spent all night worrying that he might never wake up!" she said, feeling her determination growing inside of her. "The Messiah are the ones taking, not monsters! They took my mom, and almost took my dad! And now they're trying to take everyone else, too!"</p>
      <p>When she finally made eye contact with the big guy, she could see that his eyes were welled up with big tears, and he looked prepared to start ugly crying.</p>
      <p>"Just imagine if all the most important people to you started disappearing," Frisk said, trying to hold a steady tone. "That's what's happening to me, and to the monsters. It has to stop."</p>
      <p>The two Messiah soldiers continued to shout at the large man, but he didn't seem to be listening as he thought about what Frisk had said. Could an organization as powerful and secretive as the Messiah really have a man this incompetent? Perhaps it was his muscle they solely valued.</p>
      <p>Either way, the men realized they weren't getting through to him. "Sorry about this." One grunted, stomping up to the distracted man, raising the butt of his rifle, and slamming it into the big guy's face.</p>
      <p>He barely even flinched, but almost immediately, swung his massive arm into the soldier's gut, sending him flying down the street head-over-heels. "Don't hit!" The brute yelled.</p>
      <p>Frisk winced as she watched the soldier barrel down the street, finally rolling to a stop about forty feet away. The second grunt made a fruitless attempt to bash the big dude's nose, but his plan was foiled by the guy's other fist burying its way into his gut. The second guard went flying just like the first, landing in a dumpster.</p>
      <p>While this unfolded, Frisk made her way over to Gregory and Terrence. They appeared to be half conscious, courtesy of how hard they'd been struck earlier. She wasn't sure what to do, other than wait for them to wake up.</p>
      <p>The girl glanced behind her toward the large man to see he was hobbling down the street, away from her. This confrontation continued to be just as surprising as when it had begun. She could have easily followed him and found their base of operations, but she had other matters of dealing with Gregory and Terrence.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Alphys, darling. I've disabled the communication jammer. It's just like we thought, this place is empty." Mettaton stood within the control room of the base he'd discovered the previous night, his new body finally fully assembled, gleaming silver. All it needed left was a paint job, and another polish to gloss things over.</p>
      <p>Papyrus stood beside him. Despite still recovering from his wounds, he had volunteered to join Mettaton as support, which the robot had gladly accepted despite Alphys' initial reluctance.</p>
      <p>"<em>D-Dangit..."</em> Alphys's voice crackled over from the other end, still a bit staticy due to Mettaton being underground. "<em>I had a feeling this would happen... um... is there any evidence that might g-give us any leads?"</em></p>
      <p>"Unfortunately, the answer would be no, darling," Mettaton shook his head dramatically, despite Alphys not even being in the room to see it. "Papyrus and I searched every-"</p>
      <p>"THAT'S ME!"</p>
      <p>"Yes, that was Papyrus- he and I searched every single floor in this base, and they left behind not a single shred of evidence." Mettaton could hear Alphys mumble something unhappily from the other end, but couldn't quite make it out.</p>
      <p>"<em>O-Okay. It looks like there's no point in you staying there, then,"</em> she stated, much to the robot's relief.</p>
      <p>Mettaton swiveled his head to face Papyrus. "Come, darling, we should go."</p>
      <p>"OKAY!"</p>
      <p>Almost the exact moment the decision had been made, the large screen in front of them suddenly flashed to life, illuminating the room in red. Mettaton nearly jumped, turning quickly, ready for anything. But what he saw he hadn't accounted for facing.</p>
      <p>A timer. Counting down. From 10.</p>
      <p>He only managed to process it the moment it hit '9', Papyrus only just now turning to face it. With no time for words, Mettaton twirled on his heel, activating his thrusters, flames jetting out of the bottom of his boots. He slammed into Papyrus, grabbing him quickly and stream-lining for the open elevator, raising an arm as his hand mechanically turned inside-out, quickly forming into a type of arm-cannon.</p>
      <p>Frankly, he had little to no idea what the countdown meant, but he wasn't about to wait and find out. Best case scenario it was a lunch timer. Worst case scenario was exactly what he presumed it to be.</p>
      <p>A detonation.</p>
      <p>How much would go up in flames? He wasn't sure. He just wasn't going to allow himself or Papyrus to get destroyed along with it.</p>
      <p>The elevator would be too much of a hassle to get through, he'd need to blow it out of his way if he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, Papyrus obliviously being carried along over Mettaton's shoulder.</p>
      <p>"Hold on tight, darling!" Mettaton told Papyrus, who eagerly did so, clearly valuing his safety, especially once he noticed the countdown. Mettaton's arm-cannon fired at the elevator, blowing it wide open. The robot quickly flew through the doors, and the hole in the ceiling was still there from when he'd been forced to bust through just the previous night. Mettaton made the mistake of looking back at the timer, and saw that there was only five seconds left.</p>
      <p>No time to waste, and with his grasp on Papyrus still tight, Mettaton flew through the top of the elevator, his rockets forcing themselves to the limit. It wasn't long before the two of them could feel a massive torrent of fire chasing them from below, threatening to melt off Mettaton's new coat of paint in an instant. There was just barely enough time for them to go through the already busted-open elevator shaft door, before the flames spilled out onto the street, explosions flooding the entire apartment complex.</p>
      <p>The force of the explosion unbalanced Mettaton, who lost his grip on Papyrus and the two went flying out of the front entrance Die Hard style. The two rolled for a good second before coming to a stop in the middle of the street. Despite being overheated and scratched up, the two were relatively fine.</p>
      <p>Flames had engulfed the apartment, and raged brighter and hotter. Mettaton pushed himself up to look back at it, grimacing. "It'll take more than that to get rid of me." He told nobody.</p>
      <p>"AND YOUR TRUSTY SIDEKICK, THE GREAT SKELECHEF! PAPYRUS!" Papyrus chimed in, propping himself up quickly.</p>
      <p>"Papyrus, we need to-" Mettaton began, before he heard the sounds of shouting nearby. Most likely people who had heard the explosion- it suddenly dawned on Mettaton that any evidence of the Messiah occupying that complex had just been burnt to ash, including fingerprints. He and Papyrus had been the only ones in there all day... something told the star that they were in a sticky situation, especially when the sound of police sirens screamed in the far distance.</p>
      <p>"OH, UNDYNE IS COMING! HOW NICE!" Papyrus exclaimed, grinning.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Ugh..." Undyne groaned with a sigh, lightly bonking her head against the brick wall. She'd been sitting in this dreary, boring jailhouse for hours, with absolutely no sign of the Messiah- or anyone for that matter, and she was starting to get fed up with the neverending silence and boredom.</p>
      <p>Just then, her phone began to ring, and she hoped to see Asgore or Alphys's contact when she slid the device from her pocket.</p>
      <p>...nope, it was just her boss, who she'd not-so-lovingly named 'asswipe' in her contacts lists. This was a troubling situation- Undyne didn't want to answer it, since she was sort of doing this without permission, but on the other hand, declining the call would be a shortcut to getting fired.</p>
      <p>"Ugh..." She grumbled once again, finger hovering over the call button. After a moment, she tucked the device away with a huff, beginning to twiddle her thumbs anxiously as it continued to ring, before stopping.</p>
      <p>"Stupid... stupid..." She mumbled, beginning to quickly pace, lightly biting her bottom lip, all things she'd seen Alphys do in any given situation. For Undyne to do the same was a good sign of how nervous she was.</p>
      <p>It didn't help that the calls just kept rolling in, also coming from her partner officer, Carl. It was very strange for her to receive so many calls so quickly. In fact, she was convinced that her boss wouldn't let her work at all if he was allowed to do so. The temptation of answering one of them was growing by the second- whatever they had for her was probably a lot better than sitting in here for a few more hours.</p>
      <p>...or, alternatively, maybe Carl had snitched to the boss about her going rogue, and now they were both calling her to put her out of a career.</p>
      <p>With that thought in mind, her resolution to ignore the calls only grew stronger. The calls were beginning to drain her battery, which wasn't a good thing. She'd need to put it on silent, at least.</p>
      <p>Or answer and stop the damn calls. One of the two. One seemed far more appealing to her, however.</p>
      <p>Undyne made a quick glance around to make sure nobody had arrived to try and kill her yet, before yanking her phone out, not even looking at the caller ID this time, and answering, about to scream 'what' at the top of her voice, before deciding against it, and answering with a very strained; "Hello?"</p>
      <p>Unfortunately for her, she'd answered her boss instead of Carl.</p>
      <p>"<em>Officer Dhelaron,"</em> a voice laced with fake enthusiasm filled her ear, instantly making Undyne grit her sharp teeth. "<em>We're having quite a big situation unfold in the middle of the city,"</em> he continued, "<em>couldn't help but notice you're nowhere to be found. And I don't recall assigning you any work for the day."</em></p>
      <p>"I'm- uh- on patrol," Undyne replied, looking around the jailhouse with paranoia. Asgore was the only person who knew she was here right now, right? There was no way her boss knew.</p>
      <p>"<em>I didn't authorize any joyrides, Dhelaron,"</em> he replied. "<em>Care to tell me why you're skipping work in the middle of such a crisis?"</em></p>
      <p>Undyne grit her teeth. She could either continue trying to come up with half-assed lies and get a chewing out. Maybe keep a career she was having mixed feelings about, or come clean and quit. Something she would have much rather done to the man's smug face. Apparently she was silent for too long, as he was speaking again.</p>
      <p>
        <em>"Can't come up with an excuse? Well, I have Officer Stanton here with me. He tells me you've been 'doing your job'. Is this true? Or are you going to lie to me again?"</em>
      </p>
      <p>Undyne opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She couldn't tell if Stanton had ratted her out, or covered for her, and it was making it impossible to form a reply. She could feel another nasty statement on its way, and quickly hit the 'end call' button- not her smartest choice, but she was on the verge of panic.</p>
      <p>Luckily for her- or maybe unluckily- no more calls came in.</p>
      <p>If it was possible, she began to feel even more anxious as she tucked her phone back into her pocket, pacing faster now. This little detour was costing her her job, but what else was she supposed to do? The law wasn't working against the Messiah clowns, so she'd have to do it herself.</p>
      <p>She almost smirked at that thought, realizing what her actions could be defined as. She was going above the law on this one. She had just become a vigilante.</p>
      <p>And so, the fish monster continued to wait...</p>
      <p>And wait...</p>
      <p>And wait some more...</p>
      <p>Undyne made the mistake of counting the seconds in her head, which just made time seem to pass even slower. With yet another dramatic, but understandable groan, she leaned back, wondering if this whole mess had been worth losing her job over.</p>
      <p>Vigilante Undyne…</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Arrested?" Frisk's eyes were wide, glued to the television screen in the hospital lobby. She'd just arrived with Terrence and Greg, both of which were still recovering from getting knocked out earlier. Frisk had been fully prepared to make a beeline for Asgore's room, but the news of Mettaton and Papyrus's arrest had captured her attention.</p>
      <p>"No way." Terrence breathed, the three staring at the television.</p>
      <p><em>"-acts of terrorism across the city, including the murders of several monsters, are now believed to have been orchestrated by our very own local idol. The explosion that took place is estimated to have claimed thirty seven lives within the building."</em> The female reporter was saying as the camera zoomed in on a group of firefighters trying to put out a building engulfed in a raging fire, before shifted focus on a police cruiser driving away, the back of a skull clearly seen inside.</p>
      <p>The TV quickly cut to a quick interview with a chubby, sweating man who clearly didn't know what he was talking about.</p>
      <p>"<em>-so I was just jogging when I heard this crazy explosion nearby. It's really a shame how all these celebrities keep getting into trou-"</em></p>
      <p>Frisk tuned it out, completely horrified at the thought of Papyrus and Mettaton being arrested. They wouldn't hurt a fly, and she knew it. Well, Papyrus at least. And terrorism was far beneath Mettaton. What had happened? Some sort of explosion, clearly, but the news story left her with few details and many questions.</p>
      <p>"What the hell?" Terrence gawked, clearly upset at the news, maybe even as upset as Frisk, who could feel the adrenaline from her earlier encounter with the Messiah man. "I know this sounds near-sighted, but uh... how about let's focus on one thing at a time." Greg advised. "Asgore, then Undyne, then Papyrus and Mettaton."</p>
      <p>Frisk couldn't agree more. They had too much going on at once. "Alright, yeah... let's see my dad..." She sighed, and they continued on to Asgore's room.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>It was apparent that Asgore had been awaiting visitors, because as soon as Frisk opened up the door to his room, she saw his head turn to face her, a warm smile spreading across his face.</p>
      <p>"Frisk, dear," he greeted, but his smile slowly faltered. "You don't look rested."</p>
      <p>"I know. I'm sorry," Frisk shook her head. "But it doesn't matter right now. Me, Terrence, and Greg got attacked by a group of people from the Messiah."</p>
      <p>Immediately, Asgore shot up in his seat, noticeably wincing as he did so, but ignored the pain. "What!?" He started pulling needles out of his arms, his face turning to anger. "No, that's not for several days..." He growled under his breath, which Frisk managed to hear. "So you knew." She said. Her question of whether Undyne and Asgore were in this together had just been concluded.</p>
      <p>Asgore winced, trying not to let his wounds force him down. "Frisk... please don't be upset with me," he said, looking sympathetic. "I was going to tell you about the attack, but... well..." he looked down at his bandages, frowning. "Were you going to tell me about the attack on Undyne?" Frisk asked, desperate for more information. Terrence and Greg stood there awkwardly as Asgore replied.</p>
      <p>"...She didn't want you to know," he admitted.</p>
      <p>"You know what I'm capable of. I can help! I want to stop this just as much as you and Undyne. I'm not a helpless little girl." Frisk stated firmly. Asgore couldn't look Frisk in the eye at this point, his anger dissipating. "Frisk..." He began, but the girl continued. "I've accomplished things you have no idea about. And I was younger. Don't leave me out of this kind of stuff, please. Mom... I want to avenge her death just as much as you. Dad, please... just let me into this."</p>
      <p>"...Frisk, please don't make this more difficult for me," Asgore pleaded. "I know how much you'd like to help, but I don't want you to be hurt. You're young. You shouldn't have to be dealing with these problems."</p>
      <p>"But I'm dealing with them anyway." Frisk's statement stung. "So far, all I've been dealing with is the consequences. The bad news. Please, I want to help. I want to stop this, and I know I can do it, too. Please, just promise me you'll tell me everything."</p>
      <p>Asgore stared at her for a few seconds, before exhaling through his nostrils heavily. "Very well. I'll tell you what I've learned about the Messiah."</p>
      <p>Frisk smiled. "Thank you, dad," she said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. Asgore gently hugged the girl back, and was a bit confused when she didn't pull away. That is, until he heard the sound of quiet snoring.</p>
      <p>"...Looks like it finally caught up with her," Terrence commented.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>The first thing Frisk heard was quiet voices, whispering among themselves. She opened her eyes to see she was lying a little uncomfortably on a comfy chair, ironically, facing away from the rest of the room toward the window. The moment she turned, the voices stopped.</p>
      <p>She was greeted by the sight of a snoring Asgore, reclined back on his bed, Terrence asleep on a nearby chair, phone in his lap, and Gregory standing near the door where two other people were talking to him. Sadie and Rian, and it appeared they'd already gotten themselves acquainted with Greg, it seemed.</p>
      <p>Sadie waved, silently mouthing "hey".</p>
      <p>Frisk glanced at the clock next to Asgore's bed, and saw that it was around 10:00 PM. She'd been asleep for seven hours, give or take a couple of minutes. The girl immediately stood up, getting the attention of Asgore, who's head turned to look at her.</p>
      <p>"Sup," Sadie greeted. "Rian and I heard you got attacked. You doin' alright?"</p>
      <p>"I... yeah, I'm fine," Frisk nodded, giving Sadie a smile. She was glad that the two cared about her enough to stop by, despite having just become 'friends,' officially. But Frisk's joyful train of thought came to a grinding halt when she recalled the current situation.</p>
      <p>Undyne's attack was today- had she just slept through it?</p>
      <p>Her attention was quick to focus on Asgore, wasting no time. "Where's Undyne?"</p>
      <p>"What?" Asgore yawned.</p>
      <p>"Undyne. We need to get to her, she could be hurt or worse or-"</p>
      <p>"Calm down, Frisk. Undyne is fine." Asgore replied with a smile. "She's one of the most capable monsters I've ever known."</p>
      <p>"Dad." Frisk raised her eyebrows, placing a hand on her hips and tapping her foot. Asgore appeared sheepish. "...goodness... Toriel used to do the same thing." He sighed.</p>
      <p>"Come on... you said you'd tell me things from now on," Frisk pleaded, hoping she wouldn't have to ask again.</p>
      <p>"Frisk, I assure you, Undyne is alright. She just sent me a message about thirty minutes ago."</p>
      <p>"But doesn't that just mean it's going to happen soon?" Frisk asked. She was relieved that Undyne was alright for now, but she was actively crossing the boundary of paranoia, especially with all that had happened today. Asgore let out a sigh. "My child..." He began. "Perhaps the Messiah changed things up. Undyne may not even be attacked today. They weren't supposed to attack you for several more days and-"</p>
      <p>"Okay okay, sorry to interrupt." Sadie interrupted, stepping forward. "But what the heck are you guys talking about?"</p>
      <p>"Um... it's..." Frisk struggled to find the words. She'd almost forgotten that Sadie and Rian didn't know quite as much as everyone else in the room. "You know how monsters have been getting killed around the city lately?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah, kinda," Sadie said, looking even more confused.</p>
      <p>"Well, the same people responsible for that are the ones who attacked me today," Frisk explained. "And my friend Undyne- a monster- was also supposed to be attacked today."</p>
      <p>"Whoa, that's deep." Rian blinked. "And you're trying to get the guys, right? Like superheroes? Count me in, I can be the Azure Count, a skilled strategist and combatant with the power of pushing people."</p>
      <p>"Pushing people?" Greg frowned.</p>
      <p>"Anyway, they call themselves the Messiah, and they're bad. And yeah. I'm trying to stop them."</p>
      <p>"<em>We're</em> trying to stop them." Terrence yawned sleepily from his chair.</p>
      <p>"Well, either way... we don't really have any idea where to start," Frisk admitted to her friends. "We were going to go and help Undyne with her attacker, but nobody's telling us where she is." She directed this bit at Asgore. "We called her earlier, but she hung up on me."</p>
      <p>"That's rough," Sadie said, rubbing her eye. "You tried calling again?"</p>
      <p>"Not yet," Frisk admitted. "I don't think she wants to talk to me right now."</p>
      <p>"Does she know she's being attacked?"</p>
      <p>"Yes..."</p>
      <p>Asgore heaved yet another sigh, squeezing the bridge of his nose between thumb and index finger, before looking at Frisk. "Undyne is at the abandoned jailhouse on the other side of town. Out past Paul's Hardware Store." He informed her. "Please don't make me regret having told you that, Frisk..." Frisk looked back at her father, and gave him a smile and a nod. "You won't."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Sans paced in his living room, moving slowly and sluggishly. His bro had just been arrested and he wasn't even allowed to visit him. Things were taking a downhill spiral faster than he'd ever seen before. Not even the genocidal Frisk had managed to make Sans feel this... anxious.</p>
      <p>Perhaps it was the assurance that there would always be a reset to set things right. Well, that wasn't exactly the case anymore, and he was left without knowing a single idea of what the future held.</p>
      <p>However, there was one name that floated about. 'Messiah'. He'd heard of them, sure. Gaster had books about them back in his hidden laboratory that the skeleton had delved into a time or two. He couldn't exactly read them now, however. They'd been destroyed along with the rest of the underground...</p>
      <p>Sans had always hated the concept of resets- the kid was able to turn back time at will, wiping away everyone's memories and starting over anew. Frisk had done so multiple times, and she'd even admitted it to him before.</p>
      <p>But now that they couldn't be performed any longer, that meant everything was permanent. Sans had never really had to worry about problems like murder in other timelines. Sure, it was always bad, but only now did the death last forever. And the worst part? It was an organization who was killing monsters, not just one curious kid.</p>
      <p>Sans was still unsure of what had actually happened, despite doing a bit of limited research on his own. There were no signs of anyone else doing it- Pap and Metta had been the only people at the apartment complex. Sans knew Papyrus wouldn't do such a thing, and despite some initial doubts, Mettaton was far from a bad influence.</p>
      <p>So... this bothered him. More than that, even. Like usual, the surface was leaving him clueless, and he didn't like it.</p>
      <p>The skeleton pulled out his cell phone, wanting to call someone, but unsure of who.</p>
      <p>His choices were limited, and getting more limited by the day. He'd done plenty of sneaking around to learn just about as much as he could, so he knew he was being targeted in a few days by a 'Magnum'.</p>
      <p>However, he was also aware of Frisk's recent attack, and the fact that it was early. Using his reasoning skill, he could only determine he was being targeted early as well, but all day, he'd been alone in his and Paps' house. He'd stopped by Asgore's room at the hospital to check on everyone, not bothering to interrupt their nap. He narrowed his eyes, before letting out a sigh as he tucked away his phone.</p>
      <p>"you can stop hiding in the kitchen now, magnum." Sans suddenly called out to the dark kitchen, turning to face it, his eyes dark. Silence greeted him in response, for nearly a full minute as he stood there, before slowly, a woman slowly stepped out of the darkness, a scowl on her face. "You're quicker than I thought."</p>
      <p>"you have no idea. here to kill me?" Sans asked, wasting no time getting to the point.</p>
      <p>"Of course I am," she scoffed. Sans could tell she was young, probably barely older than Frisk, and her hiding had been sloppier than she probably wanted to believe. Judging from this, he could tell she was inexperienced, and had been sent after him under the impression that he'd be easy to kill. The look on her face appeared extraordinarily forced, almost like she was wearing a mask.</p>
      <p>The skeleton closed his eyes, chuckling lightly to himself, but the girl didn't seem to be in the mood for laughter. She rushed toward him, ready to attack.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Undyne found herself on the verge of dozing off as she sat on the cold, uncomfortable concrete floor of the jailhouse, leaned against the brick wall, which was equally uncomfortable. She was practically begging for a backache, but didn't care at this point. All day, she had been forced to reflect on her decision to hang up that stupid phone call. Undyne's career had plateaued, and was now likely over. All for the sake of some asshole she wanted to arrest- who didn't even show up!</p>
      <p>Falling asleep would be a bad idea now. She just wanted to go home and give up- something extremely rare for the monster. With a heavy groan, she stood up, and began to approach the exit.</p>
      <p>...then heard the sound of the jailhouse's doors slowly creaking open around the corner.</p>
      <p>She didn't believe it.</p>
      <p>Actually, she couldn't believe it.</p>
      <p>She knew it could only be one person. This ass who'd kept her waiting all day! Now he decided to show up!? Oh, this guy was in for the beatdown of his life.</p>
      <p>Immediately, Undyne flattened herself against the wall, ready to materialize her spear at any given moment, eye seeing clearly through the dark.</p>
      <p>"Hold it," a voice called from around the corner, and the sound of footsteps ceased. At first, she thought they were talking to her, but when she glanced at the shadows coming from down the hallway, there were two.</p>
      <p>Two people.</p>
      <p>...and there was supposed to only be one.</p>
      <p>"I feel a presence," the voice continued, masculine and quite stern. Like he'd been giving orders his entire life.</p>
      <p>"So what? Isn't that why we're here?" a more irritated voice followed. Undyne narrowed her eyes.</p>
      <p>"They're just around the corner. Proceed with caution."</p>
      <p>She grit her fangs- hard. Perhaps the Messiah viewed her as enough of a threat to send two of their assassins instead of one. Especially after having failed to kill Asgore, Mettaton, and Papyrus.</p>
      <p>They'd fail again here. Even if they sent every person at their disposal they had.</p>
      <p>She would not fall.</p>
      <p>As the footsteps, quieter and slower now, neared, she closed her fist, and several glowing blue circles appeared on the ground, extending down around the corner for several feet, undoubtedly appearing beneath the men as well.</p>
      <p>"The article didn't lie," a voice commented as the spears shot up out of the ground. Undyne was confident she'd hit her target, but when she peered around the corner, she saw two figures standing just in front of the spears, unharmed.</p>
      <p>One was slightly taller than the other, with an eyepatch strapped tightly onto one of the sockets. He had his arms folded, and his singular eye had a piercing gaze, his shining blonde hair overgrown, but well kept. The man looked cold and calculating, analyzing the spears.</p>
      <p>"Raptor, you know what to do," he told the other one, who just sighed. When Undyne looked at the second man...</p>
      <p>She saw the person who'd attacked Papyrus, no doubt about it. The same brown hair, green eyes, and claws on his hands. He looked tired, and annoyed. Undyne could relate.</p>
      <p>"So I actually have to hit a woman?" Raptor asked, sounding a bit uncertain.</p>
      <p>"I don't care what you do or don't do," the other man replied. "But you're to follow my instructions. Don't get killed, and keep her busy. Although... if you were to kill her, I wouldn't mind a bit."</p>
      <p>Undyne was having enough listening to these two. "You're gonna have to bring a LOT more backup to kill ME!" She yelled, a spear appearing in her hand, illuminating the dark hallway in a cyan light.</p>
      <p>"Make it quick, if you can." The man with the eyepatch yawned, turning away as Raptor rushed forward with staggering speed. Unlike Papyrus, Undyne matched it, and her spear immediately swiped the man's claws away as her hand reached up, grabbing the second claw he'd tried to bring down on her throat.</p>
      <p>Her leg came up, blocking his own before she swung the spear upward, wacking him up the chin, sending him staggering back. "Really? THAT'S the best you got!?" Undyne laughed. "You injured me last time," Raptor noted, his claws shining in the dim light of the jailhouse. "You've got a lot of nerve fighting back." Undyne scoffed as she conjured a spear in her hand, just as the man swiped another claw at her. It collided with the weapon, and Undyne aimed to kick him in the jaw, but he narrowly moved to the side in time, grabbing her wrist. She felt herself get thrown back toward one of the cells, her back colliding with the metal bars. "You're stronger than the idiot, I'll give you that much, but you're still a lowly monster," the man commented, teeth bared. Undyne got back into a battle pose- it would take a lot more than that to keep her down.</p>
      <p>Raptor's claws shined again, and Undyne could swear she saw a flash of green spark from them. She didn't have time to think about that, though, because he lunged once again, and her spear came up to block. Unfortunately for her, in a flash of green, the spear was split into two, and vanished into thin air. She sidestepped the slash he was aiming toward her, grabbing the man by the arm and attempting the same throwing maneuver. Her strength was more than enough, and he went flying, but much to her chagrin, he landed on his feet.</p>
      <p>"Heh." She scoffed. "You're better than the average fighter, I guess. No match for me though." Undyne smirked, and Raptor was suddenly enveloped in a dim, emerald glow. He was quick to notice he was at a crossroads in the jailhouse, and from the four directions, spears came hurtling toward him, all cyan in color as Undyne held him there through magic, immobilized aside from defending against the spears, and set her sights on Warmth. "Don't think you get to stand by and watch me kick his ass! You're NEXT!" She challenged.</p>
      <p>"Hmph. I don't like your tone," Warmth replied, before suddenly, all of the spears vanished. Undyne was frozen in place, her breathing growing heavy. "Hard to control your magic when you're feeling so light headed, I presume," Warmth stated, looking mildly amused. Undyne could barely breath, feeling like she was in the epicenter of a massive heat wave. This was the blonde one's doing, no doubt. She felt dizzy, and unusually weak. Her eyes going wide with rage, she swiped her arm, and a spear hurtled toward Warmth, who sidestepped it deftly.</p>
      <p>"I didn't need any help," Raptor stated firmly.</p>
      <p>"Just do your job and be done with it," Warmth sighed with fake exasperation.</p>
      <p>"Whatever..." Raptor growled, before lunging. Despite Undyne's blurry vision, she could definitely feel a set of claws get buried in her arm, causing her to shout in pain. Luckily, the pain caused her to snap back to reality, and she swung with all her might. Her fist flew across Raptor's face with a mighty crunch, and he stumbled back, blood pouring from his nose.</p>
      <p>"You..." he began, but decided to attack before finishing. Undyne swung again as he charged, but he grabbed her wrist. Raptor wasn't fast enough to catch the second one, however, and felt it crush into his ribcage. With a spin, he full-force hurled the fish monster away.</p>
      <p>Luckily for her, she had a softer landing than last time.</p>
      <p>She was back on her feet and raring to go in no time at all, leering now. "ENOUGH games." She growled, and snapped her finger. The floor in all directions was suddenly filled with hundreds of small blue dots, dotting seemingly everywhere. Simultaneously, a series of yellow spears surrounded Raptor on all sides, gleaming brightly as a different one appeared in her hands, emerald in color.</p>
      <p>"This is where your rampage ENDS!" She announced. "The Messiah WON'T bring us down. Because I'M here in your way, and NOTHING will change that!"</p>
      <p>"You're mistaken," Raptor replied calmly, his claws gleaming a deep green once again, but this time, they transformed, elongating and maintaining their brilliant glow. "It was never a rampage." This time, Warmth didn't assist Raptor, simply watching this unfold while stepping away from the spears.</p>
      <p>The yellow spears came flying toward Raptor, who began slicing through them with shockingly fast reaction speed. Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice Undyne lunging toward him until it was too late, grabbing him by the throat and knocking him over into a wall of blue spears. He had a rather rough landing, and Undyne raised her arm, punching him square in the nose again. "It's OVER!" She roared.</p>
      <p>"You screwed up," Raptor croaked, despite the hand wrapped tightly around his throat. He raised an arm, his long green claw shining brighter than it had been previously. Undyne leapt back as he swiped, but only missed the worst of the attack. It still tore through the middle of her uniform and some of her flesh. The wound wasn't too deep, but it was enough to make her taste bile in the back fo her throat.</p>
      <p>Warmth didn't seem concerned at all as Raptor caught his breath, standing back up, while Undyne stared down at her stomach wound angrily. Quickly, she held one hand over her stomach, and raised the other, launching a volley of yellow and blue spears at the man, an emerald glow emanating from her other hand, magically sealing up her new wound. "No." Undyne huffed, glaring at Raptor. "You."</p>
      <p>Raptor blinked. "Did you seriously just no u m-" He was cut off as he was attacked by another volley of spears. He hacked and slashed, managing to keep up with the amount, but the numbers and speed of Undyne's attacks were coming faster and faster, showing no signs of relenting. With each spear destroyed, it vanished, and was replaced by two more. A bead of sweat rolled down Undyne's forehead to her cheek as she glanced down at her wound.</p>
      <p>Fully healed.</p>
      <p>"ENOUGH!" Raptor roared, lunging out of the way of the spears and hurling himself at Undyne, swinging wildly. Her new, emerald spear appeared again, and she began twirling it with grace and accuracy, the weapon a mere blur to anyone's eyes as each of his attacks were quickly blocked by the green spear, which Raptor quickly discovered he couldn't shatter.</p>
      <p>And he was wearing down- fast. Meanwhile Undyne appeared to have more than enough energy left to spare, and as he continued to slash, he began to slow. Undyne took this momentary advantage to switch to the offensive. Suddenly, Raptor found himself backing up with each swing of her spear, trying to block each attack, but as he got slower, she only seemed to grow faster, her eyes burning with a look of pure determination. "You've failed." She announced.</p>
      <p>Using the spear, she knocked his claws out of her way, and just as quickly, jammed her spear tip into Raptor's abdomen.</p>
      <p>Raptor winced as the spear burrowed its way through his flesh, a pool of blood rapidly forming at his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, tasting blood.</p>
      <p>"I haven't... failed," he replied slowly, clutching at the wound- the part of it that the spear wasn't still jammed into, at least. "I only needed to... distract you. I don't kill chicks..."</p>
      <p>"What the hell are you talking about?" Undyne demanded, narrowing her eyes. Raptor looked over at Warmth with a smile, but his face froze up in fear and shock. The blonde was on his knees, hands on his temples as if trying to repel a horrible migraine. He was trembling, but seemingly not out of fear or pain. He was whispering something under his breath.</p>
      <p>"Hah! Guess he wasn't so-" Undyne began, before she felt a pair of hands shove her away. This wasn't an attack, but it successfully moved her about two feet away from Raptor.</p>
      <p>"It's not even midnight..." the brown haired man growled irritably, the pool of blood beneath him growing as he collapsed. He made an attempt to crawl away, but Undyne pinned him in place. "Going somewhere?" she demanded.</p>
      <p>"Keep your voice down," Raptor growled. "You don't fucking get it, do you-"</p>
      <p>Warmth interrupted Raptor's sentence by standing up. His eyes were shining so brightly that it actually sort of hurt to look directly at him.</p>
      <p>He almost seemed... possessed.</p>
      <p>Undyne narrowed her eye, staring at the man, who held her gaze. Quickly, she whipped out a pair of cuffs from her pockets, slapping it on Raptor's wrist, and the other to a metal bar. "You're staying with me." She told the Lieutenant, never breaking eye contact with Warmth, and next pulled a chocolate bar out of another pocket, throwing it down onto Raptor's lap. "Eat that. It's magic. To stop the bleeding." She ordered, and began to walk toward the man with the glowing eyes, shifting her emerald spear to her other hand and wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Ready for round two. How about you?"</p>
      <p>Warmth opened his mouth, and no sound came out- or so it seemed. Undyne instantly felt herself overcome with a blinding headache. Maybe the sound was so high pitched that she couldn't hear it? Either way, she couldn't afford to lose focus.</p>
      <p>"You don't get it!" Raptor whisper-growled to her, though she could barely make out what he was saying. "You can't fight him like this!"</p>
      <p>Undyne shook her head in annoyance, raising her spear. She was about to attack, but Warmth moved first. His speed was far superior to hers or Raptor's, and he was upon her in a split second. She raised her arms to try and block his punch, but wasn't quick enough. His fist hit her in the stomach, and she was sent flying across the jailhouse, slamming into one of the brick walls. It cracked behind her. Warmth's head slowly turned toward Raptor, a wicked grin appearing on the blonde's face. Undyne was still conscious, and began to rise to her feet. He was strong, but something was wrong. He was shaking violently, and the smile appeared far from genuine.</p>
      <p>"Nope, nope, nope, nope," Raptor said, biting into the chocolate bar in hopes that Undyne hadn't been lying as he began to try and limp away from Warmth, but failed, as he was cuffed to the cell. Warmth just opened his mouth up wide again, another headache-inducing soundwave filling the jailhouse.</p>
      <p>"Ugh..." Undyne groaned, but fought through it. "I won't give up." She stated, talking mostly to herself, eye closed as Warmth bore down on Raptor. Immediately, a spear erupted from the ground, slashing through Warmth's clothing and pinning him to the ceiling.</p>
      <p>"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size? He's small fry, anyway." She sneered, her golden eyes flashing brightly, reflecting off of Warmth's own. "No matter how powerful you get... I'll always be able to match you step for step." Silently, Warmth yanked the spear out of the wall, and fell to the ground as the weapon vanished. "EN GUARDE!" Undyne yelled, slashing her spear through the air, sending a wave of white energy hurtling toward Warmth.</p>
      <p>No matter how bad a headache he induced on her, she could power through. She had to deal with the Chief on a daily basis. This guy was nothing.</p>
      <p>Surprisingly, the man didn't even make an attempt to dodge the white energy attack. It struck him directly, but he didn't stumble, or even flinch. Instead, his hands suddenly rose to his arms, and he began clawing at his own skin, drawing blood.</p>
      <p>Undyne was confused, but paid it no mind, hurtling a spear toward Warmth. This attack, however, was stopped dead in its tracks. Undyne watched as the spear turned 180°, before catching ablaze and flying back toward her at double speed. She leapt to the side just as the spear drilled into the brick wall.</p>
      <p>"That's your best shot!?" Undyne shouted, and Warmth made no reply nor reaction. He leaned forward, and once again was upon Undyne in an instant. She still wasn't fast enough to block his attack, and felt a fist slam into her midsection. This time, however, the punch seemed to be just as fiery as the spear-counter, and she felt her flesh being burnt through her clothing as she was once again sent flying.</p>
      <p>She could tell why this guy was so dangerous now as she hit another brick wall, which threatened collapse. Any normal human or monster would likely die from one hit like that.</p>
      <p>But she wasn't normal.</p>
      <p>"That all you've got?!" Undyne demanded, her body feeling overheated. She was sweating, energy being drained more and more for every second that this continued. This enemy wasn't like the previous one- Raptor was direct, and focused on melee. Not to mention, she could match his speed.</p>
      <p>But this? It was entirely different, and a lot more fearsome.</p>
      <p>Undyne stood up, trying not to focus on the burning pain in her back or the blinding light erupting from this man's eyes. He had a grin so wide that it put Undyne's to shame. "I'm not gonna lose to you!" she announced, looking over at Raptor to see him trying to split through the handcuffs with his claws. He was drained of energy, and didn't seem to be having much luck.</p>
      <p>By the time Undyne looked back at Warmth, he was... gone.</p>
      <p>She looked around.</p>
      <p>Nowhere to be seen...</p>
      <p>"Where did he go?" she demanded, but she was talking to herself more than anybody else.</p>
      <p>"Probably went to-" Raptor began, before Warmth was in front of him, punching him in the jaw so hard that it was a miracle no teeth flew out. Raptor was sent through a brick wall, which collapsed, the entire jail cell falling apart from the force of the hit.</p>
      <p>"HEY! We're not finished yet!" Undyne roared, pissed that her opponent wasn't taking her seriously. A large blue dot formed beneath Warmth's feet, but it caught ablaze, and the spear failed to rise from the ground.</p>
      <p>"Rrrr... NGAAAAAAAHHH!" Undyne roared, shooting off with an extra burst of speed, swinging her green spear deliberately. Warmth turned, catching it mid-swing, but was immediately met by a pair of knuckles jamming into his throat.</p>
      <p>He let out a choking sound, surprised. But this was only momentary, as the next second passed, a flaming fist was thrown at Undyne, catching her in the gut. Spit and even a little bile spurt from her mouth as her eyes widened, the wind knocked out of her, and she keeled forward, feeling her body begin to boil.</p>
      <p>Warmth raised a fist to bring it down on her head, and brought it down. Suddenly, it was stopped, his wrist caught in her hand, her grip vice-like, the sound of his bones creaking under her strength sounding, her eyes flaring a deep scarlet. "I... won't... LOSE!" She bellowed at him, bringing her other fist up in an uppercut. He made to grab it and stop it, but his hand was only caught in her sudden surge of power, and it was crushed between her fist and his jaw.</p>
      <p>Warmth propelled upward from the hit, but before even having time to react, she was above him, arm raised, and she brought her elbow down on his chest. A snap echoed through the air as Warmth slammed into the ground, concrete shattering beneath him.</p>
      <p>The red in Undyne's eyes faded back, her fatigue showing, but she wasn't finished yet.</p>
      <p>When Undyne looked down at Warmth, she could see a bone sticking out of his arm. It wasn't fun to look at, but what was even scarier was what the man did next. He reached over to the bone with one hand, grabbed onto it...</p>
      <p>And tore it right out of his arm with a horrible, flesh-shredding sound. Undyne likely would have lost her lunch if she weren't so engrossed in the heat of battle. This guy appeared to feel pain, but almost seemed to enjoy it, to the point that he was willingly inflicting more upon himself with absolutely no regret whatsoever. What the hell was going on? She'd never encountered a human like this before. Raptor was presumably buried beneath the bricks, but he was most likely still alive. Undyne didn't have time to check, because the man was back on his feet.</p>
      <p>She landed, ready to finish this with one last determination-packed punch...</p>
      <p>But she didn't move first, once again. Warmth lunged toward her, and she managed to successfully stop his punch- but a second one came from below, uppercutting her in a similar manner to her own attack before. She felt her chin and throat grow dry, a burning sensation teeming through them. She hit the cracked-up concrete ground with a thud, about to get back up, but was met with a kick from above, right to the forehead. A hard kick, one that could easily shatter a person's skull. Undyne could feel blood drip from her forehead as the wound formed, the concrete below her cracking, and before she knew it, she was at the bottom of a small crater in the ground.</p>
      <p>The property damage so far was immense.</p>
      <p>Undyne's good eye was shut- she was seemingly dead. At least, Warmth thought as much, but was apparently unaware that monsters turned to dust upon death. The oblivious lieutenant's grin grew even wider than before as he turned, under the impression that both Raptor and Undyne were dead.</p>
      <p>And he ran off, disappearing into the night.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Undyne's eye shot open- how long had she been out? A few seconds? The dust around her was still settling, so it couldn't have been long. She sat up, looking around at the numerous ruined brick walls, the crushed concrete below, the torn apart jail cell...</p>
      <p>And her. She was wounded badly, the adrenaline wearing off when she realized the enemy was gone.</p>
      <p>"Aurgh..." She groaned, slowly pushing herself up. She ached all over, could feel bruises, broken bones, and the like, but that didn't stop her.</p>
      <p>It took some time, but she was soon back on her feet, wobbling slightly.</p>
      <p>Shaking her head, she willed herself to focus, her gaze falling upon the jagged piece of a bone lying nearby. She stared at it in disgust before limping toward it, and picking it up, placing it into a pocket. Alphys could use it to track where the guy went. Or something like that. Hopefully. With that, she limped her way toward the pile of rubble nearby, and began to weakly throw off the rubble, using every ounce of strength she retained, and eventually uncovered an arm. Immediately, she checked Raptor's wrist for a pulse, and to her surprise, she got one.</p>
      <p>"Are you awake?" Undyne asked the buried man, and to her surprise, his hand slowly moved into a thumbs-up position. She wasn't aware that humans could be so... durable. It was obvious that the man wasn't unscathed, however, as his pulse was somewhat weak and his blood was all over the rubble pile.</p>
      <p>Undyne wasn't really sure if she wanted to help him out or not. Her better judgement said no, especially because she was working as a vigilante now and not a police officer. Undyne's surprise only grew when the rubble pile began to move, obviously from Raptor trying to emerge, pieces of brick and concrete slipping and falling off. Despite the idea of killing him seeming appealing, she decided against it. This guy was her prisoner now. Her goal had still been accomplished, even with the ludicrous obstacles in her way. She shoved off more rubble, uncovering the man, who's eyes were closed, his body covered in blood and dust.</p>
      <p>Undyne proceeded to pull him out, and he came out with no fuss, too weak to do much at this point. The chocolate bar had managed to save his life, but he wouldn't be coming out without scars.</p>
      <p>At that moment, Undyne noticed a car pulling into the driveway of the jailhouse, parking next to her police cruiser. "One of yours?" Undyne asked Raptor darkly. He made no response as he tried to stand limply beside her, most of his weight falling on her shoulder.</p>
      <p>Her answer was answered when a familiar face exited the vehicle. "Oh hell..." Undyne muttered.</p>
      <p>It was none other than Frisk, who was currently the only one who'd stepped out of the vehicle, though Undyne could tell there were more people inside. Frisk wore a confused expression, and slowly began to walk toward Undyne.</p>
      <p>"Undyne, is that..."</p>
      <p>"He's with the Messiah, yeah," Undyne grinned. "He talked a big game, but he's a wimp."</p>
      <p>A faint 'no u' escaped Raptor's lips, so his vocal chords probably weren't crushed.</p>
      <p>Her grin faded. "Frisk, why are you here?"</p>
      <p>"Because I was worried about-"</p>
      <p>"How did you even know I'd be here?" she questioned.</p>
      <p>"Asgore told me."</p>
      <p>Undyne sighed, her adrenaline still wearing off, and she was feeling increasingly more in pain and irritable. "Frisk, you seriously don't need to be getting involved in this crap. A guy like this may not be able to kill me, but you'd be in a lot more danger."</p>
      <p>"I'm just tired of being left out of things," Frisk said, shaking her head. "This is as much my problem as anyone else's."</p>
      <p>Undyne sighed as Frisk looked around the decimated jailhouse.</p>
      <p>"Aren't you gonna get in trouble?" Frisk asked the fish monster. "For... all this damage?"</p>
      <p>"Why would I? I was fighting a criminal."</p>
      <p>"I don't know... they arrested Papyrus and Mettaton earlier today for apparently exploding an apartment complex, but there's no evidence against them..."</p>
      <p>Undyne frowned. That... was actually worrying. And since she was no longer a police officer, her chances of getting blamed would be even higher.</p>
      <p>Great.</p>
      <p>"Just help me get this guy in my cruiser." Undyne replied. One thing at a time... she was in no state to be trying to handle so much at once. Not that she wouldn't really try. "We need to get him to Alphys' lab. She has a detention center just underneath in her secret lab."</p>
      <p>"She does?" Frisk asked, linking Raptor's other arm over her shoulder. Frisk wasn't exactly as tall as Undyne yet, but her support was greatly appreciated. "Yeah. She thinks no one knows about it." Undyne replied with a small smile.</p>
      <p>"Well, she definitely never told me about it," Frisk nodded. Alphys was good at keeping secrets, that much was certain. "What's going to happen to him, though?"</p>
      <p>"Well... we're gonna have to figure that out," Undyne said, admittedly having no clue. She couldn't exactly turn him in to the police- he'd definitely tell them about what had happened. And if people found out she'd been involved in the destruction of that jailhouse... it was possible that she would be in just as much hot water as the actual criminal.</p>
      <p>Maybe even more, considering how idiotic and racist the majority of the police force and so-called 'justice system' were in Voxis City.</p>
      <p>Frisk and Undyne managed to get Raptor into the backseat of the cruiser, who didn't fight it in the slightest, beyond spent.</p>
      <p>"Who all did you bring?" Undyne asked.</p>
      <p>"My friends," Frisk replied. "Terrence, Greg, Sadie, and Rian. Rian drove us."</p>
      <p>"Jeez, Frisk. Look, Asgore letting you in on this is already big. You sure you need a posse of other teens frolicking around with you?" Undybe asked.</p>
      <p>"They're not useless." Frisk replied. Not that she knew that for certain, but they had been friendly and reliable to her. She wasn't about to start keeping secrets from them, or abandoning them.</p>
      <p>"If you say so." Undyne shrugged. "Have Terrence ride with me. He's my favorite. Plus I may need back-up, and you should be with Asgore."</p>
      <p>"Back-up for what?" Frisk asked.</p>
      <p>"In case I pass out." Was Undyne's reply.</p>
      <p>"Alright... are you okay?" Frisk asked, a question Undyne hadn't been expecting to hear.</p>
      <p>"Physically? Not really. I took a serious beating from this guy's boyfriend back there, and I'm pretty sure about a quarter of my bones are broken. It's a good thing I'm so tough, otherwise I'd already be dead!" Undyne's confident grin reappeared. She was in pain, Frisk could tell, but she would survive. She would survive because she was determined- even more determined than Frisk sometimes, maybe.</p>
      <p>Frisk gave Undyne a smile, before turning and heading back to the car to go get Terrence</p>
      <p>"Hey." Frisk opened the back door. "Undyne wants you to ride with her, T." She informed her boyfriend. "She might pass out so she needs a co-pilot. The guy in the back is part of the Messiah, so keep an eye on him too. You're going to Alphys' lab to lock him up." Terrence blinked at her, before shrugging and unbuckling his seatbelt. "Alright, sounds good to me," he said, and climbed out of the backseat. Sadie, Rian, and Gregory had their eyes on the police cruiser and the wrecked jailhouse.</p>
      <p>"See you soon," Terrence told Frisk, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze of affection, before turning and heading off to go ride with Undyne.</p>
      <p>Frisk smiled, staring after him as he got into the passenger's side, Undyne starting up the car. Once he was buckled, he gave Frisk a wave before they had pulled out of the driveway.</p>
      <p>Frisk climbed into the car, closing the door. "Yo, uh... can I just say that this shit is cray-zay." Rian stated, staring at the ruined jailhouse.</p>
      <p>"Yeah, that's one way of putting it," Gregory nodded in agreement. Rian started up the car. "Should I, like... follow her?" Rian asked, a bit confused on the game plan.</p>
      <p>"No, I don't think that's a good idea. She has things to take care off with that Messiah guy..."</p>
      <p>"Let's just... I dunno..." Frisk bit her cheek. "Well uh... I gotta be home soon or my dad's gonna pass a kidney stone over this." Rian stated. "That's fine then. We can drop off Greg at his house and I can go back to the hospital." Frisk offered.</p>
      <p>"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go back home." Greg replied, gulping. Frisk could tell he was thinking about his mother's involvement with the Messiah, and she couldn't blame him. "Yeah, I don't mind."</p>
      <p>At that moment, her phone buzzed. When she pulled it out, she was a little confused to see a text message from Sans.</p>
      <p>It simply read; 'need you at my place, kiddo'</p>
      <p>"Um... if you don't mind, could you drop me off at this address?" Frisk asked Rian, showing her the google maps directions to Sans's home. The boy raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, since that wasn't the original address she'd asked to be dropped at, but he nodded.</p>
      <p>Both the police cruiser and Rian's car drove away from the ruined jailhouse.</p>
      <p>One was going to drop a bunch of teenagers off at their homes... for the most part.</p>
      <p>And the other was going to a lab to lock up a dangerous criminal.</p>
      <p>Oh, the variety.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"You wanted to see me?"</p>
      <p>Psycho found herself standing on a platform, a circular light beamed down on her. Three people stood in front of her at a distance, shrouded in the darkness.</p>
      <p>The leaders of the Messiah.</p>
      <p>"We did." A cold, commanding voice replied. "You've failed us two times too many."</p>
      <p>"No, wait!" Psycho interrupted. "I promise I can still be good! I can still be useful! Just give me another chance!"</p>
      <p>"Are you sure?" the voice questioned. "Because not only have you failed twice- once with plenty of backup- but you also lead the monsters to an important base which we were then forced to destroy."</p>
      <p>"Please! Please! I'll do anything, just give me one more chance!"</p>
      <p>"Very well. You will receive one more chance. Simply close your eyes and count to three, please."</p>
      <p>Psycho nodded, closing her eyes.</p>
      <p>"One... two..."</p>
      <p>
        <em>Bang!</em>
      </p>
      <p>A bullet shot through the air, striking Psycho directly in the temple with perfect accuracy. She slumped over… Dead.</p>
      <p>"Brutal," an insincere, younger voice commented, one of the other leaders.</p>
      <p>Lowering a smoking Python revolver, the lead man grunted in reply. "She'd outplayed her usefulness." With that, he turned, stalking away. The other two members followed suit, leaving the body on the ground, bleeding out.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. "Driver's Ed"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A break is given as the Messiah slinks back into hiding, and Frisk decides to start taking driving lessons.</p>
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      <p>Things had been... quiet these last few days. Whatever was going on at Alphys' lab wasn't shared with Frisk or any of her friends, much to her annoyance. Instead, Undyne had told her to return to her normal day-to-day. So, reluctantly, she had. The school bus picked her up from Asgore's, which was dreadfully dull without him around, and she did her best to care for his multitude of flowers and cacti in his absence. It had been three days since the first showdown with these people. This... 'Messiah'. She was still worried about it but her friends had done the same as Undyne. Advised her to act like things were normal for a while. It was hard, but not impossible. She'd helped Sans take someone to Alphys' lab that he'd tied up, but he didn't exactly share anything with her.</p>
      <p>So here she was, on a Thursday, sitting in the cafeteria with her growing group of friends. Not much was said. There wasn't a lot to be said. So they ate the soggy sandwiches as best as they could, occasionally casting glances at one another.</p>
      <p>Terrence was the first to break the silence. "So... did anybody catch the game last night?"</p>
      <p>"What game?" Greg asked blankly. "The football game." Rian answered. "It was good. We won 10-0. Voxis Vultures are doing good this year. You saw it too?" He asked Terrence, who shrugged. "Nah. Was just trying to make conversation."</p>
      <p>"That's a shame," Sadie told him, taking a bite of her salad, which had some questionably pale looking lettuce. "You missed a great game."</p>
      <p>"You were asleep," one of their peers scoffed from a few seats away.</p>
      <p>"Doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention," Sadie gave a wink, and Rian only smiled at that. You didn't have to follow the football season to know that he was the team's MVP; one look at Rian, and you could just tell that he was a monster on the field. He didn't brag often, or flaunt his achievements around... in other words? Completely different from the rest of the football team.</p>
      <p>Frisk didn't seem to realize that she wasn't eating much, even by gross cafeteria food standards. Terrence gave her a gentle nudge, probably trying to ask if she was alright without saying so verbally. She felt around under the table until she felt Terrence's hand, and quickly entangled his fingers in her own. She admittedly wasn't doing great- she was worried about her friends, and she missed having Asgore around the house.</p>
      <p>Asgore was close to leaving the hospital. His wounds had healed for the most part, and he'd be home by tonight, according to the doctors. Frisk was excited about that, but also so she could start prying Asgore for more information. Everything he'd discovered on that drive. Also to convince him to let her help more, because Undyne certainly wasn't changing her stance any time soon.</p>
      <p>"So how long has this been going on? Remind me." Sadie asked Frisk, who'd been so lost in thought she was completely confused. "What?" She asked. "Don't be coy." Sadie grinned. "We all know you and T got a special thing going. How long now?"</p>
      <p>Frisk immediately felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Did she really have to ask that while they were surrounded by friends and peers?</p>
      <p>"Um... well, not very long," she admitted. They'd been together a while back, sure, but as of right now, they'd only been together for perhaps a week or so. That answer luckily seemed to satisfy Sadie, but now Frisk felt like all eyes were on her.</p>
      <p>Deciding she wanted to talk about something else, Frisk averted her gaze to Gregory, who was absentmindedly chewing a bite of his sandwich while flipping through a large book, his glasses pushed up the bridge of his nose for some light reading. "It's been a while, Greg." She stated, grabbing his attention. "Has the you-know-what visited yet? Are you supposed to choose?" She asked in a hushed voice, speaking in light code. Gregory swallowed, before glancing about, not taking notice of Jason Clever nearby, who'd slightly perked up at Frisk's question.</p>
      <p>"Um... no, hey- can we talk about it later?" He asked. "I just- I think it's best if we just do what Undyne said and keep our noses clean."</p>
      <p>Frisk clenched her teeth at that. It was exactly what she didn't want to hear. What everyone had been telling her ever since she'd fought off a direct attack from the Messiah. 'Keep your nose clean Frisk', 'Stay in school Frisk', 'Don't focus on any of this Frisk'. She was getting pretty sick of it.</p>
      <p>"Ow." Terrence muttered, squeezing her hand to grab her attention. She hadn't realized she'd been gripping his hand painfully tight. "Sorry." She apologized, relaxing herself.</p>
      <p>Truthfully? Frisk didn't want to just sit around and wait for more people to get hurt- or worse. As much as she loved Undyne and Asgore, they clearly didn't have things handled as much as they wanted Frisk to believe. They were... trying to protect her, but they just didn't understand. She wasn't some child who needed to be shielded. She'd experienced things worse than this before. Heck, she was responsible for things worse than this.</p>
      <p>And yet... she felt completely alone. Like nobody understood her. Was it really so awful that she didn't want anyone else to get hurt?</p>
      <p>The others didn't seem to notice Frisk's inner turmoil as they started discussing the upcoming first quarter finals and homecoming. Except for Terrence, who squeezed her hand again, but this time in a comforting fashion. "Hey." He said. "I got an idea."</p>
      <p>"An idea?" Frisk asked, hoping he was finally as sick of the situation as she was and planned to help her with... whatever she planned to do. Instead, it was something she hadn't expected at all. With a grin, he turned to her. "You should get your driver's license."</p>
      <p>Frisk blinked. "...what?" She asked, genuinely thrown off. "You're sixteen now and everything, and I believe I did mention you'd be learning to drive, but... well, better late than never, you know?"</p>
      <p>"I don't really have time for that." Frisk deflected. Honestly, she had all the time in the world for it, but she just wasn't feeling it. "How 'bout this then- having driving skills could come in handy when dealing with you-know-what." Terrence added, enticing her to the idea.</p>
      <p>It worked.</p>
      <p>"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn..." She bit her lip.</p>
      <p>Learning how to drive... oh boy. She'd been so excited for this not long ago- but having more independence didn't sound as good as it once did anymore. Still, Terrence's point was enough to make her more than willing.</p>
      <p>She just needed a driving instructor... Rian and Terrence both had their licenses, she knew that much, but she didn't really know Rian well enough to ask him. And she wasn't sure if asking her boyfriend would be a great idea either, especially considering he didn't have a vehicle...</p>
      <p>Then she had an idea. Undyne- of course, that'd be perfect. Undyne would definitely think up some kind of intense driving exercises that'd whip Frisk into shape in a week, tops. She'd just have to avoid mentioning the teeny tiny detail about why she really wanted to drive, which wouldn't be hard at all. A teen wanting to learn how to drive wasn't uncommon, not to mention she was sure it'd make Undyne happy with the thought that Frisk wasn't actively seeking out the Messiah or anything. For now.</p>
      <p>"That's the spirit." Terrence grinned widely. "I don't have my own car, but-"</p>
      <p>"Undyne can teach me." Frisk nodded, coming to the decision. "She'll be fast and aggressive. I'll know all the ins-and-outs in no time flat. How long does learning to drive usually take?"</p>
      <p>"Uh..." Terrence blinked. "Greg? Do you know?"</p>
      <p>"No." Was his reply. "Driving isn't like other things you can learn, it depends on who's learning. Some people take just a couple days to learn. Some can take months. My brother took two years."</p>
      <p>"You have a brother?" Terrence asked. Greg, however, pretended not to hear him and hastily stuffed his nose back in his book.</p>
      <p>A bit miffed at Greg's lack of reply, Terrence turned his attention back toward Frisk.</p>
      <p>"Um... Frisk? Are you sure you want Undyne teaching you? I mean... I know you two are friends and all, but... well... she can be a little intense..."</p>
      <p>"Exactly. If anyone can get me on the road quickly, it's her," Frisk nodded. "Trust me, I've known her for a long time, I can handle anything she throws my way. Didn't I tell you about her cooking lessons?"</p>
      <p>Terrence swallowed. "Yeah, you did, and I still have nightmares. Just promise me you'll be careful, alright? I don't want you getting into a wreck or anything because Undyne lights the car on fire to 'challenge you' or anything."</p>
      <p>Frisk giggled at that. "I promise. No car-fires."</p>
      <p>"Make Undyne promise that and I'll feel better."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>She still had her job. After the whole debacle with her avoiding her boss to fight the Messiah, she was lucky. He hated her and she knew it, but at least he kept her on. She was useful, after all.</p>
      <p>Just... not useful on parking duty. She'd been demoted to a meter maid. A <em>meter maid</em>. Undyne snarled at the very thought as she slid a ticket under the windshield wiper of a car. The man approaching the car looked about to yell at her because he was only 30 seconds late, but stopped when he saw the fury in her eyes and decided to take his ticket with grace.</p>
      <p>Turning to head back to her vehicle, Undyne had to force herself to unclench her fists and jaw. She didn't know how much longer she could keep doing this. Being a police officer was literally the best possible job for her, but being a meter maid felt like an insult and with her boss, she knew damn well it would be a while before he let her get back to doing any actual work.</p>
      <p>Cursing under her breath as she got into the driver's seat, she noticed that her cell phone had a few new notifications- all text messages from Frisk.</p>
      <p>Admittedly, she hoped it had something to do with the Messiah. As much as she told Frisk to stay out of it, she was surprised the girl had lasted this long doing just that. They were a lot alike in that regard. Evil was lurking about and they couldn't just sit about doing nothing. Yet, for three days, that's all either of them did. Alphys wouldn't let her interrogate Raptor yet, who was apparently still recovering, and sharing a cell with the one Sans had caught. How Sans had managed to pull that off was beyond the officer, so she figured he'd just smooth talked the Magnum girl into getting tied up. It was the only logical explanation.</p>
      <p>She opened her phone and read the messages, each of which was just 'Undyne'. She couldn't exactly text and drive, so she called the teen instead as she started up her car, pulling away from the curb.</p>
      <p>Putting the phone up to her ear, Undyne was quickly greeted with Frisk's voice.</p>
      <p>"<em>Hello?"</em></p>
      <p>"What's up?" Undyne asked, eager to get straight to the point. Talking on the phone and driving wasn't a lot better than texting and driving, so she wanted to wrap it up quickly.</p>
      <p>"<em>I was wondering if you could do me a favor- when you aren't busy,"</em> Frisk replied. "<em>See, since I'm sixteen now, I really should be driving soon."</em></p>
      <p>"Yeah?"</p>
      <p>"<em>Do you think you could give me driving lessons?"</em></p>
      <p>Undyne raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been expecting that, but hell, there wasn't really any reason not to help the kid out. Driving would be good for her.</p>
      <p>"Hell yeah!" Undyne replied. "You made the right call, coming to me. I'll teach you how to <em>really </em>beat the road into submission!"</p>
      <p>
        <em>"No car-fires, though. I had to promise that."</em>
      </p>
      <p>"I guess." That was disappointing. Undyne was already coming up with more and more insane ways to challenge Frisk, one of which was setting the car on fire. <em>"Just one more question."</em> Frisk added. <em>"What car should I be, you know, learning to drive?"</em></p>
      <p>"Well, I can't let you drive my police car. I'm already on thin ice with my boss," Undyne replied with an eye roll, despite knowing Frisk couldn't see her. "I guess we'll just have to get you started in whatever's available. Think Asgore would let you drive his truck?"</p>
      <p><em>"He wouldn't mind if it wasn't still... totalled."</em> Frisk replied.</p>
      <p>Oh, that was right. She'd completely forgotten about that first attack on Asgore. Things had really escalated since then, but now were just... calm. "Right, uh... Oh! Papyrus has a bunch of his old cars that he lends to Sans sometimes." It didn't feel right, suggesting Papyrus' stuff while he was still sitting behind a cell and Undyne could do nothing about it, but she knew Papyrus would be fully supportive of lending a vehicle of his to help teach Frisk to drive.</p>
      <p>Come to think of it, Papyrus didn't even have a license...</p>
      <p>"<em>That could work,"</em> Frisk pleasantly agreed. "<em>What day works for you?"</em></p>
      <p>"We could meet up after my shift ends, if you want," Undyne shrugged, once again not caring if Frisk could see it or not. "I'm not exactly on my boss's speed dial for emergencies right now, so I should be free."</p>
      <p>"<em>Okay! I'll see you at Papyrus's house soon, then?"</em></p>
      <p>"Yeah, sure," Undyne nodded. She wasn't sure why, but she was looking forward to this. A break from all that Messiah crap sounded great, and it was for a good cause. Not that she was planning to make this easy for the kid, of course. With that, the other line went silent, and Undyne set her cell phone down on the passenger's seat.</p>
      <p>That was when she saw it. Disappearing around a corner was a tall figure in a black cloak, shoulder-length blonde hair splaying out from the chilly wind that was sweeping over Voxis.</p>
      <p>So much for a break from the Messiah crap. This was definitely the guy who'd nearly killed her.</p>
      <p>Veering back onto the curb, Undyne bolted out of her vehicle, producing a yellow spear in her hand that she quickly tossed at the alley. It bounced off the air and directed itself at her target just as she rounded the corner to find Warmth pinned to the wall by his cloak. "Got you." Undyne growled triumphantly, marching up toward her enemy, before stopping, seeing a look of fear and confusion on his face.</p>
      <p>...this wasn't Warmth at all. Just some poor pedestrian she'd mistaken him for. "Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to do it!" He cried out frantically, throwing a wallet to the ground.</p>
      <p>...well, that wasn't what she'd expected, but she'd clearly just caught the guy stealing someone's wallet. She could just play this one off... but damn, if she wasn't pissed off to hell already, this was her breaking point.</p>
      <p>She'd been feeling paranoid ever since that attack, and Alphys wouldn't let her beat or interrogate the guy they'd captured, leaving her completely irritable and unsatisfied.</p>
      <p>"Who'd you take it off of?" Undyne asked in exasperation. The man pointed at an older gentleman sitting on a park bench across the street, blind shades over his eyes, a walking stick resting at his side.</p>
      <p>"Don't do it again or I'll hunt you down." She half-heartedly threatened the man, letting him go before collecting the wallet. The guy took off as Undyne made her way to the older man. "Sir." She announced. "Somebody snatched your wallet."</p>
      <p>The man said nothing, even after Undyne set the wallet on his lap. He didn't even move. He was just smiling dolefully forward. Too annoyed to be weirded out- at least at first -Undyne turned to make her way back to her patrol car when the man spoke.</p>
      <p>"Soon, Dhelaron." His voice was cracked with age, and his words made the officer stop dead. "Your time runs short."</p>
      <p>"Excuse me?" She whirled about on the spot to face him, only to find... nobody there. She blinked. Then blinked again. All that sat on the bench was a wallet. Was she going crazy?</p>
      <p>Leaving the wallet on the bench was just asking for someone to steal it- and now she was personally curious. Approaching the spot the man had just been, she swiped the black leather wallet up again, opening it up to check for an ID... but oddly enough, it was nearly empty. No money, no identification... only a few folded up pieces of paper tucked deep into the corners of the pocket. Normally, Undyne wouldn't root through a stranger's wallet like this, but even if that old blind man was crazy, he'd probably want this back... and she couldn't very well return it without knowing who he was. She pulled one of the folded papers from the wallet, uncrumpling it and viewing the contents of the note; which only had a single sentence scratched onto it.</p>
      <p>'<em>I wonder what color his eyes are.'</em></p>
      <p>She blinked. Say what?</p>
      <p>Paranoia grew again, and she looked about the mostly empty street, but nobody stuck out. No blind old men, no Messiah lieutenants... She shook her head, convinced she was going insane. "I need some sleep." She murmured to herself, before grimacing. Talking to oneself was always the first sign of insanity.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Frisk!" Asgore beamed as Frisk and Terrence walked into his room, the girl carrying a heart box of chocolates, something Asgore had grown rather fond of after returning to the surface.</p>
      <p>"Hi!" Frisk greeted without hesitation, a big smile on her face, setting the chocolates down on the small table by Asgore's bedside. It was his favorite kind- all the types of chocolates were labelled on the inside of the box, so he could avoid the ones that tasted like toothpaste. Very convenient.</p>
      <p>"And Terrence, it's good to see you again," Asgore greeted Frisk's plus-one with a smile.</p>
      <p>"Pleasure's all mine." Terrence replied, grinning as well while Frisk gave Asgore a hug. "Mm. Thank you, my child." He sighed. "Undyne called me. Said you were asking her for driving lessons." He stated.</p>
      <p>"Better late than never." Frisk shrugged, to which Asgore chortled. "True indeed. I'm proud of you for taking initiative, Frisk."</p>
      <p>"Thank you, dad," Frisk smiled again, feeling a bit guilty that she was lying about the real reason she wanted to drive- even if she wasn't sure how driving would help against the Messiah. Well... not exactly lying, but she wasn't telling Asgore the truth either.</p>
      <p>"Just promise me you won't let Undyne light the car on fire, alright?" Asgore chuckled.</p>
      <p>"Already had her promise that, sir." Terrence winked in reply. "Also had her make Undyne promise that, too."</p>
      <p>"Great minds think alike, my boy. We'll make a Dreemurr out of you yet." Asgore returned the wink, before laughing haughtily.</p>
      <p>They were in better spirits than they had been for a while, despite everything. The Messiah had played their attacks, and in the end, they had ultimately failed. The attack list was now useless, and nobody had any idea what their next move was- but for now, things were comfortably quiet.</p>
      <p>"Have they updated you how long it'll be before you can come home?" Frisk asked Asgore. She really didn't want to spend anymore time alone at home than she had to. Of course, she usually had Terrence to keep her company, but he wasn't a parental figure by any means.</p>
      <p>"Soon, my child," Asgore chuckled. "They tell me I'm making a slow, but steady recovery. I should still be let out tonight."</p>
      <p>"Good." Frisk nodded, pleased. "I've been maintaining your plants as best as I can, but I don't think I'm a green thumb. They're starting to die."</p>
      <p>"Have you been watering them three times a day?" Asgore asked.</p>
      <p>"I have to do it three times a day?" She asked, blinking.</p>
      <p>"Why, of course!" Asgore grinned widely. "Would you like me to send you instructions?"</p>
      <p>"That might be best," Frisk nodded. "I don't know the first thing about them. The article online said to water them once every two days."</p>
      <p>"What nonsense. That's like if a person only ate once every two days, you know," Asgore scoffed, but not in a mean way.</p>
      <p>Frisk smiled at him, but her smile faltered. She still couldn't get it out of her head. Here he was, lying in a hospital bed because of the Messiah, and they were all just pretending that everything was okay. It... just wasn't right.</p>
      <p>Asgore seemed to notice her subtle shift, and quickly changed the topic by clearing his throat. "So erm... how's school going? Keeping up with everything?"</p>
      <p>"Mhm! Almost straight A's," Frisk nodded. School had, actually, been going consistently well for her. She appreciated having at least one constant in her life, even if it involved being in a desk for about six to seven hours per weekday. Seeing her friends, doing schoolwork... it helped take her mind off of things from time to time.</p>
      <p>Although, there were still a few things that made her uncomfortable. There had been plenty of times that she'd seen that Jason boy staring at her from afar, with those ominous golden eyes... and yet, whenever she managed to muster up the courage to try and speak with him, he was nowhere to be found.</p>
      <p>"That's good. Really good." Asgore smiled, and an intense awkwardness hung in the air for a moment. Nobody knew what to say. There was an elephant in the room which was pretty much forbidden at being addressed, and everyone knew it.</p>
      <p>Finally, Frisk rotated her shoulder blades before hugging Asgore again. "I suppose I should probably go see Undyne soon. Her shift ends about now."</p>
      <p>"Ah, that's right. Remember, be safe. Undyne can be a bit much, but I'm certain she'd refrain from putting you in too much danger on the road. Good luck, my child," Asgore said, hugging Frisk back briefly before the latter pulled away, giving her dad one last smile.</p>
      <p>"It was good seeing you, Mr. Dreemurr," Terrence extended his hand for a second handshake, which Asgore accepted.</p>
      <p>"Likewise, Terrence, likewise," the monster king nodded.</p>
      <p>With that, the two left, and Frisk let out a groan of frustration as they were leaving the hospital. "Still hung up about being out of the loop?" Terrence asked. "Aren't you?" Frisk snapped back. "I just... can't stop thinking about it. I'm so paranoid all the time..." She shook her head. "I feel useless."</p>
      <p>"Frisk? Can I be honest with you?" Terrence asked, an eyebrow raised. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Do you ever think that you might be a little... too worried?"</p>
      <p>"Too worried?" Frisk looked at him like he had two heads, folding her arms.</p>
      <p>"Well- no, okay, that's not what I mean. What I mean is, there's not a lot that anyone can do right now. It's alright to be worried, but- I hate to see you keep beating yourself up over it."</p>
      <p>Frisk felt herself relax a little, her gaze softening. "Well... you're right. Beating myself up is pointless, but I can't help it. I just wish there was something I could do."</p>
      <p>"There is," Terrence replied. "You can try to relax. Really, you can't help others if you don't take care of yourself. Besides, you don't want to be tense when you're learning how to drive."</p>
      <p>Frisk bit her lip, thinking for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah... you're right." She repeated with another sigh, before grabbing his hand. "Thanks, T." As they walked, she reached up and pecked his cheek with her lips, causing them both to go red.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"have fun." Sans waved lazily at Undyne and Frisk, who were both clambering into one of Papyrus' cars, a sleek crimson convertible, which Frisk recognized as Papyrus' first car he'd purchased.</p>
      <p>"We will." Frisk waved back, getting into the passenger seat. Undyne was supposed to take Frisk to a country road outside of town or someplace deserted to teach Frisk the basics.</p>
      <p>Undyne was silent as they drove, and Frisk quickly picked up on it. There was a certain awkwardness between them- just like there'd been with Asgore earlier. They both clearly wanted to talk about the real problem, and yet-</p>
      <p>No. Frisk stopped herself from overthinking once again, opting to take Terrence's advice. She couldn't be tense like this all the time- Frisk had to try and relax, even if it killed her. Her hand drifted to the radio, so she could play a song Undyne would enjoy.</p>
      <p>The first thing that came up was 'Jingle Bells', making them both pause for a second. "Uh... Christmas isn't for another three months." Undyne blinked as Frisk couldn't help but smile. "Gotta capitalize off the holidays somehow." She shrugged, changing to another station, which was in the middle of one of Mettaton's songs called 'Cords of My Heart'.</p>
      <p>"Not really my cup of tea," Undyne admitted," prompting Frisk to turn the dial once again, entering a channel with two older men discussing sports. Immediately, Frisk turned the dial again, bringing on Jingle Bells once again.</p>
      <p>Undyne scoffed. "I wonder who decided to make that song such a big deal."</p>
      <p>After flipping through a few more songs neither were really interested in listening to, they mutually agreed to leave it off for now and bring their own cd's next time.</p>
      <p>Their mind was off music in just moments, however, as they had left the great city behind, their surroundings replaced with sprawling farm land and vast pastures where cattle grazed.</p>
      <p>They continued for a while longer, before Undyne turned into a long stretch of dirt road, and parked the car. "Here we are." She smiled.</p>
      <p>"Looks pretty safe," Frisk nodded, looking at Undyne suspiciously.</p>
      <p>"What? No tricks, I promise. I couldn't do any intense training exercises even if I wanted to. Papyrus is sorta fond of his cars," Undyne replied.</p>
      <p>Taking her word for it, Frisk gave a satisfied nod and the two stepped out of the vehicle to switch sides. Once the girl was in the driver's seat, she suddenly felt very intimidated, peering over the steering wheel, and glancing at the pedals at her feet, before the gear stick. "Okay... what first?" She asked.</p>
      <p>"Well, first you're gonna want to put your seatbelt on," Undyne replied, to which Frisk followed her instruction. Once she was buckled, Undyne continued.</p>
      <p>"Do you know the difference between gas and brakes?" Undyne questioned, to which Frisk nodded.</p>
      <p>"Okay. Start by pulling forward, slowly."</p>
      <p>The car didn't move as the engine revved loudly when Frisk pushed against the gas pedal. Surprised, she pulled her foot back, eyes wide as she looked at Undyne. "Um-"</p>
      <p>"Oh, and take it out of park. That's probably important too." The officer added with a shrug.</p>
      <p>Frisk did just that, and with it out of the way, she could finally get to the driving part. This time, when she put her foot on the gas, the car moved. It startled her, and she quickly stopped- much to Undyne's amusement.</p>
      <p>"Try again. Take in slow, just go down this road."</p>
      <p>"Okay..." Frisk nodded, and lightly pressed her foot against the pedal. The car started to slowly move forward, much to her enjoyment. "I'm doing it!" She grinned.</p>
      <p>"NOW DRIVE!" Undyne yelled, nearly making Frisk leap out of the car and have a heart attack. Instead, she pressed her foot down as a response and the car peeled out of its spot, kicking up gravel and dirt into the air, shooting forward down the road.</p>
      <p>Frisk did her best to slow her breathing, but the speed of the car was making it hard to calm down. She managed to slowly ease up on the gas, taking a quick glance to see Undyne grinning from ear to ear, obviously not concerned.</p>
      <p>Frisk felt like it was a miracle she hadn't crashed- but then realized that that was probably why Undyne had taken her out here. So she could drive without hitting anything- there wasn't much to hit.</p>
      <p>After a few moments, Undyne pumped her fist into the air. "FASTER!"</p>
      <p>Frisk indulged with an apprehensive gulp, and picked up the speed a bit. She glanced at her dashboard, trying to figure out where the speedometer was, quickly picking it out, which read '70 mph'.</p>
      <p>"Uh, Undyne?" Frisk asked. The road ahead was still straight, narrow, and empty, but that didn't calm Frisk any.</p>
      <p>"FASTER!"</p>
      <p>Frisk swallowed once again, watching the speedometer slowly rise up to a frightening 85 mph. She'd never driven before in her life, and so far, this wasn't a pleasant start. Undyne was clearly getting a thrill out of it, but Frisk only felt her heart pounding in her throat as the dirt road flew by.</p>
      <p>"FASTER!"</p>
      <p>The world around began to blur.</p>
      <p>"FASTER!"</p>
      <p>Frisk's grip was deathly tight on the steering wheel as she continued to oblige Undyne's commands for... whatever reason.</p>
      <p>"COW!"</p>
      <p>The girl's eyes widened in shock and fear as she veered the steering wheel to dodge an apathetic cow that had entered their path, and they went careening into a field filled with even more cows.</p>
      <p>"COWS!"<br/>Frisk jerked the steering wheel to and fro, forgetting that he foot had pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and after narrowly avoiding a now very frightened herd of cows, she lifted her feet, veering the steering wheel to the left, and she slammed her foot down on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt, digging into the soft earth and spraying grass and dirt everywhere.</p>
      <p>For several long moments of silence, the two sat there, before Undyne stood up, pumping her fist into the air. "AWESOME!"</p>
      <p>Undyne cleared her throat, looking over at Frisk, who was obviously shaken up. She felt a bit guilty- but she'd just been trying to get Frisk comfortable with being behind the wheel and gotten… carried away.</p>
      <p>"Erm- okay, minor detour," Undyne chuckled nervously. "Pull back onto the-"</p>
      <p>"Can you drive me home?" Frisk interrupted, slowly unbuckling herself. Undyne sighed- oh well, it was the least she could do.</p>
      <p>"Yeah, sure."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>The ride to return to Sans and Papyrus' to drop off Papyrus' now very dirty car was a little tense, though that was mostly due to Frisk coming down from an adrenaline high, and Undyne trying and failing to apologize multiple times. It wasn't her fault she sucked at apologies.</p>
      <p>The moment they pulled into the driveway, Frisk was already unbuckling, hand on the door handle- she wasn't necessarily angry with Undyne, but she didn't feel very comfortable being in the car at the moment. Once the two were out, Undyne looked over to see Sans standing by the garage door with one eye closed.</p>
      <p>"heya. how'd it go?" he asked obliviously.</p>
      <p>Undyne bit the inside of her cheek, and Sans quickly seemed to catch on that it hadn't gone too well.</p>
      <p>"I think... I'll take a break from driving." Frisk said, at which Sans shrugged. "why? one bad experience spoil it for ya?" He glanced at Undyne. "c'mon kiddo. we both know undyne can be a bit intense but she was just confident in you and your abilities is all. how 'bout you give it one more go, huh? i'll even take ya."</p>
      <p>"Like... right now?" Frisk questioned, obviously still a little bit gun shy- or car shy, more accurately.</p>
      <p>"come on, you and i both know you won't be in any danger. i like to take my time," Sans winked. Frisk relaxed a bit- depending on the person, Sans was either totally reliable, or not at all. Luckily for her, he tended to be the former. Usually.</p>
      <p>"Before you go, er... sorry, Frisk." Undyne patted Frisk on her shoulder. "Just got caught up in the moment and all that, you know... didn't mean to freak you out or nothin'."</p>
      <p>"That's okay." Frisk replied, feeling a little better already. "Maybe once I get better we can go joyriding some time."</p>
      <p>Undyne smiled broadly. "We'd better. Take good care of her while you're out," she ordered, to which the skeleton's grin widened.</p>
      <p>"no prob."</p>
      <p>With that, Sans and Frisk were in the car. Undyne got in her own and drove off. Sans and Frisk sat in silence for a few moments, before Frisk pursed her lips. "Are we... gonna go?"</p>
      <p>"i thought you were driving." Sans replied, looking over at her from the driver's seat. "I can't over here." She blinked. "i wouldn't say 'can't'..." Sans stated. "it's not impossible. just really hard."</p>
      <p>"So-"</p>
      <p>Frisk felt her stomach lurch for a moment, and found she was seated in the driver's seat. "take it away. show me how good you are at taking this thing out."</p>
      <p>Frisk took a deep breath, adjusting the center stick so that she could properly pull out of the driveway. She wanted to take it slow, make sure there were no hazards.</p>
      <p>"c'mon, kiddo. there's nothing to be afraid of," Sans encouraged, looking a bit sleepy. Frisk swallowed, before slowly- but surely- letting the vehicle pull out of the driveway.</p>
      <p>"oh, watch out for the-"</p>
      <p>The car bumped uncomfortably as it went.</p>
      <p>"-curb." Sans yawned. Frisk was starting to regret this already. Sans may be one of her best friends and most trusted companions, but... she should have seen this coming, in all honesty.</p>
      <p>"stop." Sans ordered, to which Frisk obeyed. "don't wanna hit the car behind us, so put it into drive and turn the wheel to take us on the road."</p>
      <p>Frisk took a deep breath. It was pretty obvious that Sans wouldn't be the best teacher, but she was already behind the wheel. No point in turning back now- as much as she doubted her own ability to drive.</p>
      <p>Following Sans's instruction, she put the vehicle in drive and turned, picking up a bit of speed as they finally got on the road.</p>
      <p>"ease up a little." Sans advised. "undyne rubbed a bit off on you, this is a 15 mph zone."</p>
      <p>Frisk did as told, bringing her foot off the pedal, and the car started to slow as they came to the end of the street. "alright, stop."</p>
      <p>She accidentally pressed on the gas and accelerated past the stop sign. "stop!" Sans' eyes widened as they drove through an intersection, barely avoiding a car that almost t-bonned them before Frisk haphazardly slammed on the brakes, lurching the both of them forward.</p>
      <p>There was a moment of silence, before Sans yawned again. "alright, keep going."</p>
      <p>"I-I'm not ready for this," Frisk shook her head, causing Sans to let out a sigh.</p>
      <p>"alright, that's fine. but i was gonna take you somewhere i know you'd wanna check out," Sans shrugged.</p>
      <p>"Where?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.</p>
      <p>"well, i came across some information about the whereabouts of a messiah outpost..."</p>
      <p>"WHAT?!"</p>
      <p>"relax. it was an unreliable source," Sans informed her, at which she seemed to grow disappointed. "but, i know how badly you're itching to get back at them, so i thought i'd bring you along. help me find something. you can keep driving if you'd like."</p>
      <p>"...where is it?" Frisk questioned, quickly turning on the GPS on her phone and setting it down- but instantly, it was back in her pocket.</p>
      <p>"usually looking at your phone while driving is bad," Sans stated matter-of-factly. "i mean, gps is fine, but since you're still learning... why don't i just give you the directions? turn left."</p>
      <p>She reacted too slowly, hesitating, and driving past the turn. They both watched it go by, before facing forward. "that's okay. take this next left."</p>
      <p>She missed it too, hesitating too much.</p>
      <p>"...okay... slow down and turn left here."</p>
      <p>For the third time, Frisk missed the turn, making Sans let out a light sigh.</p>
      <p>"c'mon, kiddo. there are no surprises out here as long as you keep your eyes open. don't hesitate. turn left up ahead," he said, ironically having one eyesocket closed.</p>
      <p>Frisk took another deep breath, managing to get it together enough to turn the car to the left and continue down the road.</p>
      <p>"see? easy peasy."</p>
      <p>They drove on in silence for a bit, moving down the road at a steady pace- easily 10 below the speed limit but Sans didn't seem to care. "How'd you learn about this Messiah outpost?" Frisk finally asked. "i interrogated one of their top lieutenants for it." The skeleton replied, stifling a yawn as he closed his other eye.</p>
      <p>"You say that like it's not a big deal," Frisk frowned, to which Sans shrugged.</p>
      <p>"that's 'cause it really isn't. she didn't put up much of a fight once i restrained her. i don't think she was one of their stronger lieutenants..."</p>
      <p>"You just said she was one of the top lieutenants," Frisk looked uncertain.</p>
      <p>"yeah, that's what she told me. dunno. doesn't seem like a reliable source to me."</p>
      <p>"Can I at least interrogate her too?" Frisk asked hopefully, feeling pretty certain this lieutenant was the one Sans had had her help him take to Alphys a few nights ago.</p>
      <p>"ask undyne. once i was through with the lieutenant, took her straight to the doc. apparently undyne's been interrogating them. or not. who knows?" Sans replied, before frowning. "...did i say left earlier? i meant right."</p>
      <p>"Are you taking this seriously?" Frisk asked, knowing Sans didn't make clumsy mistakes like that. Either he was trying to sneakily give her a little extra driving practice, or he was just messing with her- at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to appreciate either possibility as she successfully turned right.</p>
      <p>"no, not that turn." Sans stated as he pulled out a bottle of ketchup. "turn left here."</p>
      <p>"Should you just drive?" Frisk asked with a huff, turning left. Sans took a long gulp, before wiping his sleeve against his face. "nah it's okay. we're here." He replied, scratching his skull as Frisk blinked.</p>
      <p>They were parked at the Voxis Docks before a warehouse. Quickly recovering, she exited the car, feeling annoyed.</p>
      <p>"Are you sure this is it?" Frisk questioned, to which Sans just shrugged.</p>
      <p>"i dunno. this is the place she said it'd be," he replied lazily, grinning with his eyes closed. Frisk folded her arms; right now, she could really do without this sort of behavior, but arguing right now wasn't worth it- checking out the warehouse was the better option, much more worth the effort.</p>
      <p>Slowly, they approached the front, and came to a stop, staring at the massive doors. "So... how are we getting in?" Frisk asked. "hm... should be a door 'round back we can sneak into where no one will notice." Sans replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.</p>
      <p>"Couldn't you just... teleport us in?"</p>
      <p>"teleport?" Sans raised a brow. "who said i could teleport? c'mon this way, i know a shortcut."</p>
      <p>"Sans, come on, quit messing with me," Frisk shook her head in disbelief. She wasn't sure why he was acting like this- Frisk knew that Sans was fully capable of being serious, but right now, he was acting like investigating this Messiah warehouse was just... a way to pull her leg. Oh well.</p>
      <p>The two began to walk around to the other side of the building- and, just as expected, they were there in just a moment, courtesy of Sans's 'shortcut.'</p>
      <p>"whaddya know. i was right." Sans winked at Frisk before knocking on the back door. They stood in silence for a moment. "ever been here before?" He asked, making conversation. "No." She replied with a shrug. "Why are we knocking?"</p>
      <p>"it's polite." Sans stated, before twisting the doorknob and pushing it open, revealing a dark room full of massive crates and boxes stacked inside. "c'mon."</p>
      <p>"I don't see anyone," Frisk stated, slowly walking into the eerie warehouse... it was incredibly dark, but she couldn't feel the presence of anyone else in the building... no paranoia, oddly enough.</p>
      <p>"I don't think there's anyone in here," Frisk stated as she scanned the room from wall to wall, eyeing each crate and box with suspicion.</p>
      <p>"still worth a look." The skeleton said, wandering by her, headed another direction.</p>
      <p>Frisk couldn't shake the feeling that something... else was happening here. Sans was acting aloof. At least more than usually and it was starting to freak her out.</p>
      <p>Regardless, her hatred for the Messiah pushed her on, leading her around a bend to an open area, and in the center of it...</p>
      <p>Frisk felt her mouth grow dry as she stared forward. At the object. At...</p>
      <p>"a save point."</p>
      <p>She nearly jumped as Sans stepped forward past her, staring at the shimmering star as well. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She hadn't seen one of these in years. Not since they'd left the underground behind.</p>
      <p>Did this mean... no, it wasn't possible that she had the ability to SAVE again, was it? Had Sans known that this was here? She reached out to touch it- there was no risk, as long as she didn't hit the SAVE button...</p>
      <p>But when the menu appeared before her, the SAVE option wasn't in it's usual place anyways. Instead, there were only dark grey letters that were hard to read in the darkness.</p>
      <p>'UNAVAILABLE.'</p>
      <p>"...why is this here?"</p>
      <p>Sans was silent for a moment as he stared at the textbox that had appeared before her, his eyes dark, before their usual light returned to them. "no idea." He replied. "was hoping you'd know."</p>
      <p>"You... led me here under false pretenses?"</p>
      <p>"i had to be sure."</p>
      <p>Frisk blinked, before turning to Sans, her gaze serious. "Do you not trust me?"</p>
      <p>"..." Sans paused, and Frisk scoffed. "You're supposed to be my best friend."</p>
      <p>"it's not like that, kid. you just don't understand."</p>
      <p>"Then why couldn't you have just told me about this in the first place?"</p>
      <p>"reasons. look, kid, i'm still your friend, but when i came here the first time and saw this..." Sans sighed. "you and the flower are the only ones i've ever known who could use these. i had a right to be suspicious when they started popping up again."</p>
      <p>"Yeah. But you could have been up-front. I thought we made a promise."</p>
      <p>"<em>you</em> made that promise, kid. you... wouldn't get it."</p>
      <p>Frisk grit her teeth as she stared at the skeleton staring dolefully up at her. "No. Maybe I wouldn't. At least Flowey knows how to keep a promise."</p>
      <p>With that, she turned, and stormed away.</p>
      <p>Just as she expected, when she arrived back at the car, Sans was already sitting in the passenger's seat, which meant he expected her to drive.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>The ride home was quiet- this awkward silence was a lot more intense than the one that hung in the air when Frisk had been with Undyne or Asgore. This was different- this was real tension. She was genuinely angry.</p>
      <p>When they got back to Sans and Papyrus' house, she got out of the car, slamming the door shut. "i could give you a ride ho-"</p>
      <p>"No." Frisk interrupted Sans, making her way to the sidewalk and striding away, leaving the skeleton in silence as she made her way home.</p>
      <p>However, she decided not to focus on it at the moment. She needed an escape- and what better escape than a meal at Grillby's with some good friends. Though that chanced another meeting with Sans...</p>
      <p>...Of course, when it came to trouble with the older skelebro, nobody would be quite as supportive to talk to as a certain flower...</p>
      <p>Obviously, Flowey wasn't exactly a good influence, and she wasn't too sure if hanging out with him just to vent about Sans would be a good idea... it was either venting, or trying to take her mind off of it with her friends. Then again, there was also the option of going home and sleeping- but going to bed with this nasty feeling hanging over her head was just asking to wake up in an even worse mood.</p>
      <p>With a bit of hesitation, she pulled out her phone and decided to send a quick message to the group text that Terrence had created a few days ago, consisting of himself, Frisk, Greg, Rian, and Sadie.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Frisk: I'm feeling down rn, anyone down for dinner at Grillby's?</em>
      </p>
      <p>She pursed her lips as she reached the corner, looking both ways across the street. Seeing nobody, she crossed as she got a reply.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie: drinks are on me, girl!</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Rian: She means me.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie: i mean Rian.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Terrence: I'm always down.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie: get your kissing lips ready, she needs a distraction.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Rian: lol</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Greg: I'd love to, but mom has 'company'.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Greg: I mean a new boyfriend. For my mom. I wasn't responding to the kissing thing.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Greg: Just to get rid of any confusion.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Greg: I'm stuck in my room.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Terrence: New plan. We're breaking Greg out, then Grillby's.</em>
      </p>
      <p>Frisk smirked at that, almost giggling aloud when she noticed that Terrence had changed the group name to 'da frisky squad .'</p>
      <p>The others began to share strategies for breaking Greg out of his 'prison,' much to Frisk's amusement. She felt a bit better already.</p>
      <p>Once it was agreed, Rian was meant to pick everybody up to raid Greg's house, who was nervous about the whole thing, but the group had made up their minds. No changing it.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Frisk: Alright. I'll see you guys at my place.</em>
      </p>
      <p>Frisk sent, before tucking away her phone and picking up the pace to get home.</p>
      <p>The pick-up order was Sadie, Terrence, Frisk, and then finally, Greg. Sadie and Rian were probably already hanging out, so it was more than likely that they'd arrive at Frisk's house very soon. She began speed walking, wanting to at least be able to freshen up for a few minutes beforehand, even if they were just going to Grillby's.</p>
      <p>It wasn't a particularly long walk, but Sans and Papyrus' was a bit out-of-the-way in terms of housing. They'd somehow brought their house from Snowdin with them, and nobody dared question it. Not even the seemingly unmelted snow on their roof was questioned.</p>
      <p>She managed to get home before the others came to get her, allowing her to dash inside and start splashing her face with some water, then brushed her lengthy hair. Frisk raised an arm and smelled her armpit, before gagging and snatching her deodorant to apply it.</p>
      <p>Once she applied her deodorant, she smelled a bit fruity, which was pleasant to the nose. She couldn't really pinpoint which fruit in particular, and the only description that the packaging offered was 'Fruity Scent.'</p>
      <p>Her skin had always been quite clear, so Frisk didn't see much need for makeup, but perhaps a bit of blush wouldn't kill her. She wanted to look presentable, after all...</p>
      <p>A loud honk outside interrupted her, and she quickly patted on the blush, before rushing out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and out the front door, slamming it closed behind her as she raced to Rian's car.</p>
      <p>Terrence opened the door for her and she hopped in. "Let's go." She said breathlessly, turning to look at Terrence and grinning. He smiled back, and there was a tense moment where he leaned forward- But the moment passed and they turned away. "Frisk." Sadie announced from the passenger seat. "Girl. Did a monkey put blush on your forehead? Lean forward, let me pretty you up."</p>
      <p>"I didn't expect you guys to get here so soon, I panicked," Frisk defended herself as she leaned forward to let Sadie fix her makeup. Sadie already seemed to have a makeup kit ready to go, which was mighty convenient.</p>
      <p>"I really need to teach you how to use this stuff sometime," the girl commented- somehow, despite the fact that her hair was covering one of her eyes, and they were in a moving vehicle, Sadie's wrist was steady as a rock, and she had no problems correcting Frisk's blush-disaster.</p>
      <p>"That'd be great. How long did it take you to become this pro?" Frisk asked, and Sadie chuckled. "Two slumber parties, a swollen wrist, and a very pretty Rian."</p>
      <p>Rian grumbled at this as they made their way to Greg's. "Sounds like a fun story." Frisk commented. "That was only half of it." Sadie winked. She offered Frisk a small mirror, which she accepted. Looking into it, Frisk was shocked- the makeup was flawlessly applied; it looked as if she hadn't accidentally put blush on her forehead in the first place.</p>
      <p>"You were right," Frisk commented, "you <em>should </em>teach me how to use this stuff sometime."</p>
      <p>Satisfied, Sadie returned her attention to the front as Frisk leaned back to show off Sadie's handiwork to Terrence.</p>
      <p>In moments, they were outside of Greg's house, the sun having set by now, and every light in the house seemed to be on.</p>
      <p>"It feels like we're breaking into the haunted house from 'The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'." Rian gulped. "The Ghost and who?" Terrence asked, leaning forward to look at Rian questioningly. "You know," Rian began, turning around. "that 1966 movie starring Don Knotts."</p>
      <p>"Who?" Frisk provided her input.</p>
      <p>"Doesn't matter. Rian just digs really old comedies." Sadie replied, opening her car door and exiting.</p>
      <p>"You two know where his room is, right?" Sadie asked, glancing over at Frisk and Terrence, to which the latter nodded. "Yeah... I'll just stop by his window and grab him, if that's alright," the blonde suggested. "His mom is probably distracted, but all of us walking along the side of the house might be a bit noticeable."</p>
      <p>"Are we sure his house isn't haunted?" Rian asked as Sadie shrugged and leaned against the car. "I mean... it <em>looks </em>haunted." He continued.</p>
      <p>"Greg's never mentioned a haunting, so I guess not?" Frisk shrugged. "I wonder if all ghosts are like Napstablook..."</p>
      <p>"Who?" It was Rian's turn to ask as Terrence climbed out of the car and made his way to Greg's house.</p>
      <p>It wasn't the biggest house, so Terrence was able to quickly make his way around back to see Greg's bedroom window open, the boy leaned into the outside, looking pale and nervous.</p>
      <p>"You arranged your pillows like we told you, right?" Terrence asked in a hushed tone.</p>
      <p>"Yeah..." Greg replied. "I mean, I doubt my mom will notice or anything but... after those goons visited, she's been really on edge."</p>
      <p>"How about you?" Terrence asked as he offered a hand to help Greg through the window. "Same, I guess. I mean... I dunno... they just scare me."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, that's fair. It's kind of hard not to be scared with everything going on," Terrence shrugged, quietly shutting Greg's window once the boy had fully climbed out. "But we don't have to think about it tonight. Let's just try to unwind."</p>
      <p>Greg gulped, before offering a smile. "Yeah. Unwinding sounds pretty nice, in all honesty."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"And so then I said; "what do you mean? That spaghetti's been sitting there all week!"</p>
      <p>Rian grinned widely as he delivered the punchline, the group sitting at a booth in Grillby's.</p>
      <p>Nobody said a word. The whole bar appeared to have gone silent. A bird monster coughed politely. "Did you get that from that Italian movie you watched last night? Same one you watch every autumn?" Sadie asked. Rian frowned, hunching his shoulders. "Maybe."</p>
      <p>Since Grillby's didn't have the most expansive menu, everyone had just gotten the burger, along with a basket of fries for the table. Rian and Sadie had gone for root beer instead of lemonade, though, unlike Frisk and Terrence; meanwhile, Greg had just stuck with water.</p>
      <p>"Man, this sure is a tough crowd," Terrence commented, giving Rian a pat on the shoulder- though, his mood seemed to perk up a bit when their waitress appeared.</p>
      <p>"I thought it was pretty funny," Fuku stated pleasantly, having stopped by to drop off some refills. "Is the food okay, guys?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah!" Rian replied immediately, grinning at Fuku. "It's... yeah!" He nodded, before falling silent. "Oh man." Terrence covered his face in embarrassment for Rian, but Fuku seemed to find Rian's awkwardness funny, letting out a giggle. "Well, I'm glad. I put extra love in these ones."</p>
      <p>Rian obviously didn't know how to respond to that, stumbling over his words as he tried to say something smooth- but what came out wasn't anything of the sort.</p>
      <p>"Me too!" Rian announced, and immediately regretted it as all the eyes on the table went to him, aside from Sadie's, who looked over at Fuku.</p>
      <p>"Thanks for the refills," the girl said, ending the conversation for Rian's sake. Fuku let out another giggle, nodding politely before leaving to check in on the other customers.</p>
      <p>"You could not be any more obvious." Frisk stated. "Or desperate." Terrence added. "Or embarrassing." Sadie included. "Uh... why are we picking on the jock again?" Greg asked, sipping some water.</p>
      <p>Rian stared after Fuku for a moment, before turning to his friends. "Guys, I really want to ask Fuku to Homecoming." He stated.</p>
      <p>Frisk blinked. Homecoming? She'd honestly forgotten that was a thing… A part of her felt like she'd missed a conversation about it at some point that day. She noticed that Sadie didn't seem to react- unsurprising, since Rian had probably already told her.</p>
      <p>"So... why don't you? We're here all the time," Terrence asked, confused, doing a fake yawn as an excuse to slowly wrap one arm around Frisk's shoulder, which she found absolutely adorable.</p>
      <p>"I'm nervous," Rian replied. Classic.</p>
      <p>"Why are you nervous? In less than a month you're the most popular jock in school, you got babes practically hanging off you." Terrence replied. "Babes I then have to scrape off with a snow shovel." Sadie added matter-of-factly.</p>
      <p>"Well... this is different," Rian shook his head. "Fuku doesn't throw herself at me, so I don't know if she likes me or not. She's just… really nice, and funny, and… cute."</p>
      <p>"That's not the only way of knowing if a girl likes you or not, y'know," Terrence shrugged, taking a drink of lemonade. "I mean, if she found that joke funny, I'm sure she's interested."</p>
      <p>"When did you become the love guru?" Rian asked jokingly.</p>
      <p>"I'm smart," Terrence replied simply, taking another drink of lemonade, before pausing and setting his drink down, having spilt some lemonade down his front. "Smart enough to get me to spell check your english papers, at least." Greg muttered, glancing down at his phone. "See? Exactly my point." Terrence stated smugly.</p>
      <p>"Okay, well... I don't know how to ask her." Rian leaned forward, dropping his voice to a barely audible whisper. "What if she says no?"</p>
      <p>"She won't." Sadie replied before taking a massive bite out of her burger, which she'd filled with a handful of fries. "How do you know?" Rian asked, frowning.</p>
      <p>"Female intuition."</p>
      <p>"Listen, Rian, you could either ask her, and probably have her say yes- or you could not ask her... and then, you'll never know," Terrence stated, wiping himself down with some napkins.</p>
      <p>Rian gulped. "Yeah... that's a good point..." Frisk smiled at the increasingly nervous-looking boy. "Come on, you can do it," she encouraged her friend.</p>
      <p>He bit his lip, glancing back toward Fuku only to find Grillby staring back, swishing a rag in a shot glass almost threateningly. Rian paled, turning back around. "I think I'll wait a little longer." He mumbled. "C'mon, don't chicken-" Sadie began, but her best friend interrupted her. "I'm not chickening out. I'll ask. Just... when I'm ready. Timing has to be right, you know?"</p>
      <p>Sadie just rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her burger. Frisk could tell there was a little bit of tension there- this wasn't the first time Sadie had attempted to get Rian to finally ask out Fuku.</p>
      <p>"Anyways," Frisk began, wanting to change the subject. "I just wanted to thank you all for agreeing to this on such short notice. I wasn't having a very fun night, until you guys showed up."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, you mentioned that." Sadie nodded. "What's going on?"</p>
      <p>"It's nothing, you shouldn't worry about it." Frisk shrugged, biting her cheek. Rian and Sadie were becoming regular members to the once three-person group, but weren't as informed on certain things pertaining to the monster world yet. Not that she didn't want to vent a little, but she didn't want to leave Rian and Sadie in the dust.</p>
      <p>Suddenly, Terrence was tapping at his phone. Frisk wondered what it was about, until she got a text notification from him.</p>
      <p>'<em>Is it about the driving thing?'</em></p>
      <p>She began to type a reply, but Sadie's voice interrupted.</p>
      <p>"You guys aren't texting about us, are you?" she asked, obviously just teasing, but Frisk could feel her face heat up, and immediately wanted to clear things up.</p>
      <p>"No, no- I'm sorry. I just... earlier tonight, I had my first few driving lessons, and... neither of them went very well. One of my instructors almost got me in a wreck, and the other... well, I don't think we're on speaking terms right now."</p>
      <p>"Yeesh. After makeup, we'll work on people skills, how's that sound?" Sadie winked. Frisk could only smile halfheartedly in reply. She decided to risk a quick text to Terrence.</p>
      <p>
        <em>'Yeah... Sans wasn't being a good friend today.'</em>
      </p>
      <p>This visibly shocked Terrence, who brought his head back in surprise once he read her text.</p>
      <p>As the table continued to converse, Frisk and Terrence occasionally shot each other a text message regarding the driving lessons- she still felt awful about them, but venting felt nice, even if she had to do it underneath a table at Grillby's via text message.</p>
      <p>Finally, after what was nearly two hours, Fuku came by to inform them that they were closing up shop for the night, urging them all outside. It didn't go unnoticed by anyone that Rian and Grillby's daughter shared a lingering look before the door closed between them, leaving them outside.</p>
      <p>"That's some mighty strong sexual tension there." Sadie teased, slugging Rian's arm, who blushed deeply as he rubbed where he'd been hit. "Shut up." He muttered, though he was smiling. "And it's romantic tension." He corrected.</p>
      <p>Gregory cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt the teasing, but I should really get back soon. If my mom finds out I snuck out, it's all I'm gonna hear about for the next six months. Oh, not to mention a grounding."</p>
      <p>"Don't sweat it, your place is close, we can drop you off first," Sadie replied calmly, earning a nod from Rian. "Yeah... it is getting pretty late anyways, we should call it a night," the jock agreed.</p>
      <p>"You can drop me off at Frisk's." Terrence stated as they all climbed into the car together.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Frisk sat on the steps leading up to the front door of her house, leaned against Terrence, who had an arm around her. "Sorry that stuff happened. I didn't know Sans could be... uncool like that. What was the fight about, anyway?" Terrence asked. "...if you don't mind me asking, at least."</p>
      <p>"...it's kind of hard to explain. It's just... well, it turns out that he doesn't trust me as much as I thought he did. He tricked me. He said he was going to give me a driving lesson, then told me he knew where a Messiah warehouse was. But when we got there..."</p>
      <p>She sighed, leaning further into him. "It was a lie. He knows how much I hate the Messiah. He knows how desperate I am to stop them. And he used it against me."</p>
      <p>Terrence looked down, thinking for a moment as they enjoyed each other's company, before he spoke. "As your boyfriend... I feel obligated to take your side..." He said slowly. "And I do. Don't get me wrong, but... I wouldn't let it come between you two. He made a mistake, just like the rest of us, you know? Sure, you need some space from him for a while, but at the end of the day, he still does care about you. These are just... these days are really weird."</p>
      <p>"...I don't want to be angry at him," Frisk admitted. "I just... it's been so hard. I still miss my mom. Every day. That's why I hate the Messiah so much. That and all the other awful stuff they pull. I just can't believe Sans would use it... just to test me."</p>
      <p>Terrence bit the inside of his cheek, pulling her in a little closer. "It's gonna be okay. He'll come around and apologize soon enough, and then you'll feel better."</p>
      <p>Frisk hoped he was right. "Can you stay the night?" she asked him. "I don't see why not. I don't really have to be anywhere else," Terrence nodded.</p>
      <p>Another silence befell the pair, and their gaze turned upward, the two staring at the night sky, full to the brim with countless stars.</p>
      <p>"Doesn't Asgore come back tonight?" Terrence finally asked. Frisk nearly jumped up, eyes going wide. "Oh my gosh, yes! We should probably go see him out, what time is it?" She asked as Terrence whipped out his phone. "Only 10:44." He replied.</p>
      <p>"I'll call an uber." Frisk announced as Terrence stood and stretched. It had been a nice moment together, but he knew it wouldn't have lasted much longer. Frisk moved too much for that kinda stuff. Not to mention it was mostly his own fault, so he had no one but himself to blame.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Frisk's uber was quick to arrive once she'd called, and since the hospital wasn't terribly far, Terrence simply handed the driver- who looked ominously similar to Jappa the Hutt- a twenty dollar bill, accompanied by a goofy 'keep the change,' earning a stifled laugh from Frisk.</p>
      <p>In no time at all, they'd arrived at the hospital, just in time to find Asgore in the process of leaving. He was wearing casual clothes now, instead of a hospital gown. She'd never seen him wear a button-up red plaid shirt with ripped denim jeans and tennis shoes before, but she had to admit, he pulled the look off nicely.</p>
      <p>"I was hoping to see you two." Asgore smiled widely as they approached him, and Frisk threw her arms around him in a hug. "You should wear plaid more often. It looks good on you." She commented, making him chuckle loudly. "I think so too. Real spiffy, hm? Doesn't make my butt look too big, does it?"</p>
      <p>"Not at all," Frisk shook her head, unable to keep herself from smiling. And for the first time in days, her mind wasn't on the Messiah- not even a little bit. All she cared about was seeing her dad out of the hospital.</p>
      <p>...although, she wasn't sure how things would be around the house now. Asgore couldn't possibly go back to work, could he? He'd need to get a new car beforehand, of course...</p>
      <p>Oh, well. She was overthinking things.</p>
      <p>"Hm... I dunno... from this angle..." Terrence took a step back, making a box with his hands to peer through like a camera. "Mr. Dreemurr, I'd say single ladies in your area are <em>very </em>interested in meeting you."</p>
      <p>There was a moment of silence, before Asgore burst out howling with booming laughter, eyes tearing in mirth. "Oh, Terrence, you crack me up," Asgore said in between chuckles, wiping a tear from his eye. Frisk had to do everything in her power to keep from doubling over- naturally, as a father figure, Asgore's laughter was quite contagious.</p>
      <p>"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Just don't ask me to make Italian puns." Terrence bowed. "Oh..." Asgore chuckled a few more times. "Italian puns?"</p>
      <p>"Don't ask." Frisk rolled her eyes with a grin.</p>
      <p>"Well... let's head home." Asgore said, and made his way into the parking lot. "But... you don't have a car." Frisk replied, falling into step beside him as Terrence brought up the rear. "I had some money saved for a rainy day." Asgore replied as they neared his signature hoodless truck, looking almost brand as new. "Mr. Obaseki dropped it off for me this afternoon."</p>
      <p>Frisk eyed the vehicle, amazed by how spotless it was- and it was nearly identical to Asgore's old truck, though this obviously looked much newer, with a nice polishing shine to it.</p>
      <p>"It looks great," she commented, much to Asgore's satisfaction. "I'd certainly hope so. It comes with some additional perks, as well, compared to the last one."</p>
      <p>"Like what?" Frisk asked.</p>
      <p>"...an extra cup holder," Asgore replied, clearing his throat. "It's the little things that count."</p>
      <p>The trio made their way into the new truck, and Asgore grinned, raising a finger. "This also has a retractable roof, too, so the interior won't always fill like a pond when it rains, too."</p>
      <p>"What about when you're driving?" Terrence asked, as Asgore's horns certainly wouldn't allow the retractable roof while he was in it. "...Well, one thing at a time." Asgore replied, starting the vehicle up as a cool breeze blew against them, making the humans shiver. Autumn hadn't even officially arrived yet and it already felt like winter was just a few days away with how chilly the nights were getting.</p>
      <p>"Hey, dad? Can I ask you something?" Frisk asked as she put on her seatbelt.</p>
      <p>"Of course, my child, anything," Asgore smiled, making eye contact with her through the front mirror.</p>
      <p>"When will you go back to work?"</p>
      <p>Asgore was silent for a moment. "I'm not completely sure. Mr. Obaseki told me to take as long as I need, but I'm hoping to return as soon as my body lets me."</p>
      <p>Soon enough, they were headed home. Frisk asked Asgore if Terrence could stay over, and he agreed on the condition that he stay in the living room, or at least don't close her door if they go in her room. "Not that I don't trust either of you, but I have an obligation as a father." He pointed out to them.</p>
      <p>They were nearly home before Asgore's face lit up. "Oh! I almost forgot! How did driving lessons with Undyne go?"</p>
      <p>"Well... it was okay," Frisk replied, earning a look from Terrence.</p>
      <p>"Just okay?" Asgore raised an eyebrow. Frisk bit the inside of her cheek; she didn't want to start lying to Asgore as soon as he was out of the hospital.</p>
      <p>"Alright, it didn't go well," she admitted. "She was a little too intense. Then Sans offered to give me a lesson, and..." she looked out the window, "that didn't go well either."</p>
      <p>"Oh..." Asgore frowned. Another moment of silence befell them before Asgore's smile returned. "Well... I suppose the night is still young. What say you that you go on one more drive with your old man?"</p>
      <p>Frisk pursed her lips, and looked at her adopted father, mulling it over, before...</p>
      <p>"I... think I'd like that." She admitted, a smile dancing on her face. Asgore let out a satisfied hum. "I'll let you take us over to Muffet's for a late dinner. Last I checked, she's open 24 hours."</p>
      <p>"Well, actually, we just ate-" Terrence began, but Frisk pinched his shoulder and successfully silenced him.</p>
      <p>"That would be perfect," she told Asgore. She was... excited, actually. He was the perfect person to teach her how to drive; not nearly as intense as Undyne, and he would never do what Sans had done a few hours prior.</p>
      <p>"Excellent." Asgore grinned as they pulled up to the driveway of his home. "Let me just water the plants and check on something before we go. I won't be long, you two can wait here."</p>
      <p>Asgore got out of the truck and quickly made his way inside as Frisk moved over to the driver's seat, barely able to see over the steering wheel. "Okay, maybe not a good idea?" She asked Terrence, who leaned over her seat and pressed a button on the side of her chair, making it rise up and move forward a bit to a very comfortable position. "You're right. It's a great idea." He kissed her cheek before moving back.</p>
      <p>Asgore made his way quickly to his room, yanking the mattress of his bed up to reveal a stack of folders hidden beneath. Folders he'd taken from Obatech Industries days ago. This could very well cost him his job, but they held the papers for any and all underground construction within Voxis. One of his last weapons against the Messiah. Satisfied that his intel was still safe and sound, Asgore hurriedly made to water his plants before returning outside, locking the house behind him.</p>
      <p>"Welcome back," Frisk gave Asgore a small smile as he climbed into the passenger's seat, adjusting it a bit so it would be more comfortable.</p>
      <p>"I assume you know the basics?" he asked, buckling in for the ride.</p>
      <p>"Yeah, I know what to do," Frisk nodded. "I just haven't gotten to really practice doing it. When I was driving earlier, it was so awkward. I almost bumped into at least three mailboxes."</p>
      <p>"That's fine, my child," Asgore chuckled. "When I was first learning how to drive one of these, I ran into a hedge that I'd spent two weeks trimming. It requires practice to master."</p>
      <p>Frisk did as she'd done with Sans earlier, putting the truck into reverse and slowly turning out of the driveway onto the street after making sure no cars were coming. "You're a natural." Asgore commented as they pulled onto the road, and Frisk shifted into drive, picking up a little speed as she went.</p>
      <p>"You really think so?" Frisk asked, swallowing- she was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as she'd been during her first two lessons. She was extra careful not to go over the speed limit, which pleased Asgore. "You know the way to Muffet's, don't you? After all, it's close to Grillby's," Asgore stated.</p>
      <p>"Yeah, I've gone a few times. Not like Grillby's, but... yeah." Frisk nodded. The drive over there wasn't intense, and it wasn't hard. She quickly got the hang of things. Stopping where she needed to, waiting for her turn at the intersection, keeping to the speed limit, and listening to little tips Asgore gave her, and he continued to encourage and congratulate her along the way, filling her with pride. In no time at all, they'd arrived at Muffet's parking lot, which was empty aside from a beat-up old white van, which they parked across from. She was over the line at an angle, but Asgore was satisfied nonetheless. "That was wonderful, my child. I'm proud of you." He ruffled her hair fondly, filling her with inexplicable joy she didn't usually feel.</p>
      <p>"Thanks, dad," she smiled. Asgore unbuckled, eyeing the light-up sign that Muffet had purchased recently. "I hope you two are hungry. I've been eating nothing but hospital food lately. I could go for some pastries," he said, licking his lips.</p>
      <p>Frisk and Terrence, having both eaten burgers earlier, along with a lot of fries, weren't looking forward to it nearly as much as Asgore... but they wanted to at least humor him.</p>
      <p>"Me neither," Frisk patted her stomach, a forced smile curling it's way onto her lips. Oh, well- Muffet's food was delicious anyways, so that would make it easier.</p>
      <p>They entered the restaurant to find several men attached to the ceiling in a mass of webs, all wriggling and staring in fear at the spider monster below them, who had all six arms crossed.</p>
      <p>The group stopped, staring at the scene as the door closed behind them. "Are we... interrupting?" Asgore asked, making the spider monster turn around in surprise. "Oh, not at all, dearie~! I was just dealing with some wannabe criminals. What can I get for you?"</p>
      <p>It was a bit awkward to sit down at a restaurant with people literally hanging from the ceiling, but Muffet didn't even glance at the supposed criminals as she took the orders; one donut for Frisk, one donut for Terrence, and a box of donuts for Asgore... normally, anyone and everyone would be repelled by a restaurant with spiders crawling around, but Muffet's spider friends were quite polite and cleanly, so she hadn't been put out of business by it... the quality of the food helped too, of course.</p>
      <p>"So erm..." Asgore stared up at the men who were still struggling. "Muffet, you're not planning on... eating them, are you?" At this, the men began struggling harder, crying out in fear through their webbed mouths. Muffet let out a pleasant laugh. "As tempting as it is, it would be bad for business. I called the police about an hour ago, so... these men might be here until tomorrow morning."</p>
      <p>"Are the police busy?" Asgore frowned, to which Muffet shrugged as she handed their order to a small team of spiders that took it and scuttled off to the kitchen. "Ever since the attack on you, the police have been..." She paused, appearing a little annoyed at the thought. "Neglectful to its monster citizens." She finished, making Asgore's frown deepen. "And these men took advantage of that fact, I presume?" He guessed, his frown growing. Muffet nodded.</p>
      <p>"Some people have begun to catch on," She confirmed, but then winked with three of her eyes. "but I've been alright; as you can see, I can handle them quite nicely. I do worry about the other monsters in Voxis sometimes, though..."</p>
      <p>Asgore shook his head, looking down at the table for a moment. "Even without any more attacks, the divide still becomes greater." He mumbled, closing his eyes, deep in thought.</p>
      <p>Terrence opened his mouth to offer words of support, but Frisk beat him to it. "Let's not worry about it for now." She said, grabbing her dad's hand. "You're out of the hospital, and we're about to enjoy a yummy meal. Let's take a break from the other stuff, just for the rest of tonight."</p>
      <p>"That may be for the best," Asgore slowly nodded with a sad smile; enjoying a meal with Frisk and Terrence sounded much more appealing than worrying about what he couldn't change.</p>
      <p>...for now. He still intended to get back to working toward uncovering the secrets of the Messiah as soon as possible, of course.</p>
      <p>"Hey, so, Rian mentioned it earlier, but..." Terrence piped up, looking toward Frisk with a grin. "You know, Homecoming is coming up and all that jazz..."</p>
      <p>"Yeah?" Frisk asked as Asgore pretended to not pay attention for their sake, staring in great interest at a dead fly on the floor that was quickly scooped up by a lone spider scuttling by, joyous of its new meal.</p>
      <p>"Well... you know, I was thinking that maybe you and I could..." Terrence cleared his throat, "go together. As a couple." Frisk beamed at the offer; she'd been waiting for him to ask ever since they'd left Grillby's earlier, and now she felt incredibly happy, cheeks warming up.</p>
      <p>"Terrence..." she placed her hand on his, making direct eye contact. "I'd love to."</p>
      <p>They shared a long moment of staring at one another, red in the face, before Asgore cleared his throat. "You two are undeniably adorable."</p>
      <p>"Daaaad." Frisk groaned, blushing even harder as Muffet came over with their meals, smiling brightly, her five eyes blinking in unison. "You guys eat free tonight. You deserve it, Asgore."</p>
      <p>"How kind of you!" Asgore smiled widely in gratitude, unable to tear his eyes away from the donuts, which looked absolutely mouthwatering. He'd been eating nothing but mushy applesauce and tasteless beans for so long...</p>
      <p>"My pleasure," Muffet blinked again, giving a polite nod before leaning forward and whispering to the king; "When you become Mayor, I expect less rent.". Frisk was proud of Muffet; she'd come a long way. When they'd first met, Muffet had beaten Frisk within an inch of her life using various pastries to try and get her to pay 9999 gold for a donut. And now... she had her own restaurant on the surface, and had really made something of herself, and all the other spiders from the Underground.</p>
      <p>The night ended with the pastries being eaten, and everyone returning home. It had been a long day, and the three were eager to get to sleep. Terrence, personally, was especially thankful for being offered to stay with the Dreemurrs for the night, not at all ready to return home after what had happened...</p>
      <p>But that was a story for another time.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"You sure it's here?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah man. It's here, I'm not playing."</p>
      <p>Two boys, teens from the look of them, wandered out of the woods off the trail, coming upon a meadow where several large yellow flowers sat. The two stopped, gazing through the dark garden, before they got ready, one pulling out a small box of matches as the other held up a gas can he'd brought.</p>
      <p>"We know you're there!" The first boy yelled to the flowers. "You think you're real funny, huh? Well who's laughing now?" As he taunted the plants, the second boy began wandering through the field, dumping gasoline as he went.</p>
      <p>Their intention was clear. The pair was planning on burning these flowers to ash.</p>
      <p>"Wait! I see him!" the second boy stopped pouring the gasoline for a second, pointing at one particular flower near the center of the patch, looking much more worn than the others... in addition to having a face, which was twisted into a sinister grin, eyes hollow and dark.</p>
      <p>"Ain't so tough now, are you? Freak!" the first boy chortled, lighting a match against his matchbox. The instant the flame was lit, a vine tore it's way out of the earth, wrapping around his ankle. The boy with the match let out a girly shriek as he was lifted into the air, hanging upside down ten feet above the ground.</p>
      <p>"DROP THE MATCH!" the second boy shouted, but it was much too late, as the match had already gone out, the remainder having been spilled onto the ground during the confusion.</p>
      <p>"Cut the vine!" The first boy shouted as the flower slunk through the garden. The second boy pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, racing toward the vine- but was stopped when another vine rose up to trip him. His blade went flying as he smashed into a faceful of gasoline-doused flowers. Flowey popped up again, just behind the second boy, who began crawling desperately away, eyes wide and terrified, but didn't get far as several vines began to twirl around him, wrapping about, seizing him and forcing him down, one vine twisting threateningly around his throat.</p>
      <p>"We'll go! We'll go! Just don't kill us!"</p>
      <p>"You two really are idiots," Flowey hissed, the vines tightening around the two boys, making breathing difficult for both of them- just when their faces began to turn red, and it looked like Flowey planned on crushing them into a fine paste, the vine loosened up ever so slightly. With one quick motion, the vines threw both boys across the field, rolling across the flowery terrain for several yards before finally coming to a stop.</p>
      <p>"Don't come back," Flowey's voice pierced through the night.</p>
      <p>The boys took off running back into the forest, screaming their heads off yelling about killer daisies. Satisfied, Flowey smirked. This wasn't the first time a situation like this had happened, and it wouldn't be the last. That's what he got for consistently terrorizing random settlements he came across.</p>
      <p>He suddenly felt paranoid, as though he was being watched. Glowering, the flower swiveled about to gaze upon a hooded figure standing nearby, staring at him. "What do you want?" Flowey hissed.</p>
      <p>"there's a situation i need to discuss with you," a deep voice replied, the figure raising bony hands to remove the hood covering a skull. Dark, empty eyes stared at the flower.</p>
      <p>"What's with the face, trashbag?" Flowey hissed.</p>
      <p>"it's serious," Sans said, almost growling. "save points have been appearing around voxis."</p>
      <p>Flowey's eyes widened. "the kid can't use them," Sans continued. "so. what do you know?"</p>
      <p>Flowey stared at Sans for a long moment, before frowning. "Oh, you stupid... stupid... IDIOT." He growled at the skeleton. "I told you it was an issue, didn't I? I said Frisk's loss of power was a problem. But did you listen? No! Like always, you acted on selfish impulses."</p>
      <p>"save the lecture." Sans replied, raising a hand to silence the flower, who only spat in reply. "it's not you, is it?"</p>
      <p>"Does it <em>look </em>like it'd be me? I'm nowhere near Voxis these days. That hell hole isn't too kind to fauna." Flowey replied shrilly.</p>
      <p>"...that's what i was afraid of," Sans released a drawn-out sigh. "i've never met anyone else who can control the timeline other than you two."</p>
      <p>Flowey laughed at the skeleton. "What's the matter, trashbag? Scared that someone's gonna reset? Afraid you'll wake up back Underground?"</p>
      <p>"shut up," Sans grunted, eyes darkening further.</p>
      <p>"You were finally happy to be free of the timelines, but they'll always haunt you, won't they?" Flowey taunted, trying to get a rise out of Sans, who looked ready to do something a little more physical, before he let out a defeated sigh. This surprised Flowey, who'd never known Sans to appear this... drained.</p>
      <p>"will you help me?" He asked, surprising the flower even further. "You're... asking me for help?"</p>
      <p>"will you or won't you?"</p>
      <p>"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Flowey's face twisted. "simple. help me find out who's in control of the timeline," Sans slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "and don't play dumb, either. you know how to gather information. you in or out?"</p>
      <p>"I don't see why I should," Flowey huffed, clearly trying to be difficult.</p>
      <p>"...i know you're scared of going back too," Sans replied. "you don't want to be in the underground again, especially if someone a lot less kind than the kid is pulling the strings. so quit bein' a pain in the ass and get on board already."</p>
      <p>"Fine." Flowey snarled, narrowing his eyes. "Just stay out of my way and we'll be fine."</p>
      <p>"whatever. keep in touch."</p>
      <p>"If you think I'm gonna..." Flowey began, but Sans had already disappeared, leaving Flowey in the middle of a field talking to nothing and feeling stupid. "Hate it when he does that." He grumbled, before perking up.</p>
      <p>A new player had entered the game. Someone new who had control of the timeline. Since there hadn't been any resets yet, it was safe to assume this person wasn't aware of their power yet. Or maybe just hadn't used it.</p>
      <p>Deep down, though... Flowey knew what he wanted. If given the chance, he'd take this new person's SOUL for himself, and restore his control. With additional Determination, he doubted even the smiley trashbag could put him down. Never again.</p>
      <p>"That's a wonderful idea..." He smirked to himself, slinking back beneath the surface.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. "Within"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Journey within the Messiah, and learn what they're all about.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>You must choose."</em></p>
<p>A tall figure walked slowly down the street. It was raining heavily, and he could barely see twenty feet in front of him. His glasses were fogged over, and his blonde hair was dripping in front of his face.</p>
<p>"<em>You've turned your back on our laws and ideals."</em></p>
<p>His heart was thundering in his chest as he moved, every single step seeming to strain him.</p>
<p>"<em>You've walked a selfish path over the true one."</em></p>
<p>As he stomped slowly through the rain, the man came upon a woman in a torn red dress, with flowing black hair that was splayed on the ground, and bright pink eyes staring fearfully up at the man as he approached. Her legs were bound, and her knees were scraped and bloody.</p>
<p>"<em>You must choose."</em></p>
<p>The man stopped, standing over the woman, both holding each other's gaze for several long moments. His eyes began to well with tears as a deep blue glow began to emanate from his fist.</p>
<p>"<em>You must choose. Her… or the Messiah."</em></p>
<p>...</p>
<p>"Dadda!"</p>
<p>The man had entered a small house, rain still pouring down outside. A little girl, no older than two, sat on the floor, a toy barbie doll in her hand, an elderly woman sitting on a chair nearby, knitting. "Johnny, you're back!" The woman greeted, squinting through her thick glasses at him. "Thank you for watching after her, Ms. Juniper. You can go home now." The man replied, scooping up the little girl into his arms, tears still running down his face. Ms. Juniper stood up slowly, staring at him. He held her gaze for a moment, before she spoke. "My God… they made you do it." She breathed, and Johnny turned away, closing his eyes tightly as he hugged his daughter close to him. "Please. Ms. Juniper. Go home."</p>
<p>"...I hope you're doing the right thing, son." Ms. Juniper placed a hand on Johnny's back, staring pitifully at him, before turning and walking out into the storm.</p>
<p>"Dadda!" The little girl called happily again, placing her hand on her father's face and rubbing his stubble. He smiled sadly at her. "I'm so sorry, Trinity…" He muttered. "My little girl, I'm…" He couldn't speak anymore, tears flowing down his cheeks, before he turned, and walked out of the door, following Ms. Juniper into the rain, leaving behind a small, circular device on the floor. Once he was a distance away, Johnny flicked his wrist, his hand glowing blue, before the device went off, and the home erupted in a brilliant explosion.</p>
<p>He stared at it for a moment as his daughter cried into his shoulder, holding him tightly, terrified from the explosion. As the sounds of sirens neared, he turned and walked away, the only thing going through his mind was how much he knew he would regret this.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Tap... tap... tap...</p>
<p>The sound of a pen clicking against wood over and over again could be heard echoing through the otherwise dead silent chamber that Trickster called her own. The purple haired assassin was seated at her desk on the wall adjacent to the door; her bedroom was nothing extravagant, though she had requested a king sized bed upon first moving in, which stood out like a sore thumb.</p>
<p>"Where could you be..." Trixie whispered under her breath, a red pen in her hand, a massive map of Voxis city before her. It took up the entire surface of the large mahogany desk, and on it, several buildings were circled, some crossed off.</p>
<p>Magnum had to be at one of these locations.</p>
<p>And yet... no luck so far.</p>
<p>Many of the circled buildings were crossed out in red ink, meaning she'd already personally checked out the entire premises, and nothing.</p>
<p>All that remained was Voxis City Police Department, the cells specifically, and the Laboratory owned by the monster known as Alphys. Obviously there were still hundreds of other places to search, but these last two were the ones she'd deemed most likely.</p>
<p>"...you're always in the last place I look, aren't you, Mag?" the girl chuckled under her breath- before letting out a sigh, burying her face in her hands.</p>
<p>Ever since Magnum disappeared, most of Trixie's time had been spent this way.</p>
<p>Sitting alone in the dark, or out searching for her. They always had each other's backs. Always. She felt almost naked without Magnum. Almost... lost. Like her only lifeline had been pulled out of her grasp and she was left struggling to find it. The big boss was plenty happy with her obsessive searching, as Magnum was his daughter and he was far too busy to search for her himself.</p>
<p>She tapped away at the map again, before biting on the end of the pen, trying to decide which place to visit. Their contacts in the VCPD hadn't mentioned any recent arrests made by the Undyne monster, but that didn't mean Magnum couldn't be there...</p>
<p>She let out a strained sigh. Things with the Messiah had been hectic since their final attack, which had completely failed. Raptor had been killed, according to Warmth, making their numbers just that much smaller, and Truck had been punished severely for turning against his own men. The poor guy was still chained up with a beaten, unrecognizable face. She couldn't bear to look at him when passing the front entrance, which was where he was chained.</p>
<p>She leaned back in her chair; Trickster felt completely and totally alone right now. Warmth hardly gave a damn about what happened to Magnum and Raptor- ever since his attack had failed, he claimed to be working on something 'extravagant,' and the rest of the Messiah hadn't seen much of him lately. Truck was obviously a little... preoccupied with his punishment. Minerva was dead. The leaders were far too busy to get involved...</p>
<p>The words Krashna had said to her regarding Magnum's situation still tore away at her heartstrings.</p>
<p><em>"It makes no difference to me whether she's dead or not,"</em> the boy had said with no remorse or hesitation. <em>"You let yourselves get too close. You should have been prepared to lose her from the beginning."</em></p>
<p>She could still remember the days when she, Magnum, and Krashna had been close; like siblings, almost. That white haired kid had been so kind, and gentle, even when he was being trained and trained until his bones broke...</p>
<p>But then he'd become a leader. And then their trio became a duo.</p>
<p>And then everything changed, forever.</p>
<p>And now it was changing even more.</p>
<p>Now... Trixie was alone.</p>
<p>"I'll find you, Mag." She swore under her breath, tapping once more on the laboratory, making up her mind and quickly springing off her bed. With a destination in mind, she set out, making her way out of her room into a lengthy hallway, where several men and women milled, talking quietly amongst themselves. She knew what was being discussed. The failures the Messiah had suffered recently. The crumbling faith in the Messiah. She had her own doubts, and paid their conversations no mind, even as they fell silent when she passed. Had she been anybody else, Nikolai perhaps, she would have been far less forgiving.</p>
<p>Trickster made her way out of the hall and into the entryway, averting her gaze from the back wall and hurrying toward the elevator, before a voice called out to her. "Tricky!"</p>
<p>She stopped short, biting her lip as Truck continued. "Tricky! Hey, Tricky!"</p>
<p>As much as it made her stomach turn to see Truck when his face was rearranged, Trixie slowly turned to fix her gaze on him, almost immediately regretting it.</p>
<p>Frankly, it was one of the most depressing sights she'd ever seen in her life. The chains, the bloodied and beaten body they were attached to...</p>
<p>She wondered how he managed to stay so loud and enthusiastic.</p>
<p>"Yes, Truck?"</p>
<p>"I wanted to say hi!" He smiled at her, wincing with the effort. "Hi, Truck." She pursed her lips, about to continue on her way before he spoke again. "Also, could you get me water please? I'm really thirsty."</p>
<p>She paused, staring pitifully at him as he gave her a hopeful smile. It wasn't her place to help him in any way, and she herself could be punished severely for doing anything to him or for him. It made her feel bad, but Magnum was her priority, and she couldn't save her if she was chained up right alongside Truck. "Sorry, pal. I'm busy." She told him, watching as his face fell. "Oh... that's okay..." He replied. "Have fun!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'll try," Trickster nodded, turning away from Truck and continuing down the hall.</p>
<p>She was going to pay a visit to the laboratory, and then perhaps the department... or maybe it would be wisest to check out the police department first, as unlikely as it seemed that Magnum would be there.</p>
<p>If she planned on visiting Alphys, Trixie would need a disguise, as she wasn't certain how much information the scientist would have on the Messiah by now. It was too risky. Maybe she'd just scout it out for now to figure out the ideal appearance to take...</p>
<hr/>
<p>A terrible tune echoed through the detention center beneath Alphys' lab. It had no rhythm or... well, anything to it. The person making the music was Magnum, who was leaned against the wall of the cell she shared with Raptor, who was lying on the ground with a pillow over his head, a transparent barrier of energy acting as their door, disallowing their escape. She held a harmonica in her hands, playing random tunes and shifting it about.</p>
<p>Magnum eyed her cellmate of sorts as she continued to badly play the instrument- he hadn't moved or said anything for hours, aside from rolling a bit to grab the pillow so he could try to ignore her. Something was up; usually, he would have lashed out by now.</p>
<p>"What's eating you?" Magnum questioned, taking a brief pause.</p>
<p>For a few seconds, Raptor said nothing; but then, one word escaped from under the pillow.</p>
<p>"...realization."</p>
<p>It wasn't a response she'd been expecting, and she lowered the harmonica Alphys had given her for entertainment. "Oh. Uh... what kind of realization? Like the 'we're totally dead' realization or the 'man Alphys is weirdly nice' realization?"</p>
<p>"If Alphys was nice, she wouldn't be having you torture me with that thing," Raptor jabbed, slowly sliding the pillow away from his face so his voice wouldn't be too muffled to understand. "What I mean is- I'm screwed. Like... completely."</p>
<p>"What do you mean? Aren't we both screwed?" Magnum raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Nah. You're probably gonna be fine," Raptor shook his head. "The Messiah can't kill you. You're the big man's kid. But the rest of the lieutenants... I mean, usually, when we get replaced, it's because the last guy messed up and the leaders eliminated him."</p>
<p>"Come on, it's not that bad."</p>
<p>"That's easy for you to say- I don't have any options. I've screwed up twice now- if they find me, I'm a dead man. I can't exactly run away, either- I mean, where would I even live? Would a guy with feathers and scales even be able to fit in anywhere?"</p>
<p>"Yeah... I see what you mean. But maybe you're too paranoid," Magnum suggested, playing a squeaky note on the harmonica.</p>
<p>Raptor rolled his eyes, turning over and slamming the pillow back down over his head as Magnum stared at the harmonica in interest, before folding her arms and sliding down the wall into a seated position. "Look, if it makes you feel any better... I'll do what I can to vouch for you." She offered. "You're right, I'm the big man's kid. I have a lot of say. I could keep you out of trouble. Besides, it's sort of Warmth's fault you got captured, isn't it?"</p>
<p>"...why would you vouch for me?" Raptor questioned.</p>
<p>"We're friends, aren't we? Isn't that a good enough reason?"</p>
<p>"...it should be, but you and I both know how the leaders are. You can only influence their choices so much... as for Warmth? I wouldn't be surprised if he twisted the story around to show himself in a better light. Wouldn't blame him, either."</p>
<p>"Can you at least try to be optimistic?" Magnum suggested. "C'mon, look at the positives. We're safe for now, aren't we? You get to chill down here with musical entertainment-"</p>
<p>"Don't remind me."</p>
<p>"-we have a nice lady taking care of us, and let's face it, the leaders aren't totally incapable of reason."</p>
<p>"...I guess."</p>
<p>"So can you stand to be a teensy bit more positive, then?"</p>
<p>"...I can try. But no promises."</p>
<p>"I'll take it." Magnum shrugged, satisfied, and began to play her harmonica again. Almost immediately, the sound of an engine running could be heard, and the elevator at the far end of the block opened up, Alphys stepping out, pushing a trolley.</p>
<p>"I h-hope you're okay with ramen, I gave the last of the burritos to you last night..." Alphys stated, and Magnum stood back up, staring at the lizard monster in interest, but said nothing.</p>
<p>On the trolley was two bowls of ramen- not the real stuff, but Alphys had done her best to at least dump some nutritional value into what was otherwise a bowl of boiled sodium. Each one had a few veggies, along with a boiled egg, enough to fill the two prisoners up for the night.</p>
<p>"Thanks, Alphys." Magnum replied, to which the monster smiled nervously in reply, and set the bowls on the ground, before sliding them through the energy barrier, which was a one-way trip. Things could come in, but couldn't come out. The dishes and silverware were all disposable, and the room had its own trash can (though it was beginning to smell, making Magnum wonder what Alphys planned to do about it if opening the barrier still wasn't an option).</p>
<p>"I-If you need anything, I'll be... you can..." She gestured to the ceiling. "I... just... shout, or something..." She turned around awkwardly and returned to the elevator.</p>
<p>Once the door had closed leaving the two lieutenants alone, Raptor lifted the pillow, turning to look at Magnum. "Thanks, Alphys?" He asked, almost tauntingly. "Why are you trying to mooch on her?"</p>
<p>"She's been good to us, what are you talking about?" Magnum folded her arms.</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter how nice to us she is, she's still keeping us down here- like animals."</p>
<p>"To be fair, imagine what that fish monster would do if she didn't keep us down here. And Alphys would have to deal with her."</p>
<p>"...touché."<br/>"Not to mention if the roles were reversed, the Messiah would be doing WAY worse."</p>
<p>"You've made your point."</p>
<p>"Besides, this just proves to me what I've been thinking all along." Magnum added, sitting down and scooting her bowl toward her. "What's that?" Raptor asked with feigning interest. "Not all monsters are bad." The girl stated. "Honestly, they're not that different from us."</p>
<p>"Bad train of thought for the heir of the Messiah." Raptor narrowed his eyes, glaring at Magnum, who slurped up some noodles with a shrug. "Maybe it's time I thought for myself."</p>
<p>"Another bad train of thought for the heir of the Messiah," Raptor sighed. "Listen, I'm not trying to be an ass here, really. I'm just trying to make sure you don't get yourself into hot water with your dad."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"You know what I mean. What do you think's going to happen if you go back to him with all these newfound ideals about good monsters?"</p>
<p>Magnum bit her lip. "...maybe I don't have to go back to him."</p>
<p>Raptor nearly choked on his noodles. After a coughing fit, he looked at her with watering eyes, clicking the talons of his left hand anxiously. "What are you talking about?" Magnum pursed her lips, about to take another bite, before setting the fork down and sighing. "Has it at all crossed your mind that... maybe we're the ones who're wrong?"</p>
<p>"Wrong how?" Raptor questioned, and Magnum bit down her tongue for a moment. "I mean... okay, so... I asked you a while back why we were killing them. Why we were so afraid of them. You told me because they were different. Because they post a threat to humanity." She paused, and raised her arms. "So why haven't they threatened the well-being of humanity? I mean, from what I can tell they've been... productive. Helpful. I know I sound like a deserter, or a traitor right now but... I don't know how much longer I can keep fighting for something I've never even believed in. Something I never even wanted to fight for in the first place."</p>
<p>It felt like a world of worry had been lifted off her shoulders, as she'd finally admitted her true feelings, and in her opinion, it felt good being honest.</p>
<p>"...you're out of your mind," Raptor scoffed, nervously tapping his talons on the ground.</p>
<p>"I know you feel the same way I do," Magnum said, looking right at him, but he had his gaze fixed on the ground. "You've never had a reason to have faith in the Messiah."</p>
<p>Raptor said nothing, so Magnum continued.</p>
<p>"I get why you aren't agreeing with me. It's because you're scared. It's your trauma. You think they can always hear you, that they'll use or do anything to hurt you again. But maybe if we don't go back to them- they can't hurt us anymore."</p>
<p>Raptor scoffed at that, looking up to glare daggers at her, and she was surprised to see his eyes swimming with tears. "They'll always find a way. I learned that the hard way. You've had it easy, Magnum. I've had it hard. You haven't been forced to... you haven't... look at me! I'm a freak! All for their sick sense of humor or something! The Messiah... they..." His voice broke off, and he turned away. "If we run, they'll just chase us down until we have nowhere left to run. It's either stay or die. Or just die, in my case."</p>
<p>"Maybe... maybe there's a third option," Magnum suggested. "What if... we fought against the Messiah?"</p>
<p>Raptor clenched both his fists. "Has being locked up down here made you delusional?" he demanded. "No- I'm serious. After all that's happened, we know that the Messiah isn't unbeatable. All the lieutenants have failed so far against the enemy... well... except for Trixie, and-"</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter. The leaders are way stronger- I'll bet they could beat any monster in the city. And they have complete control over Voxis. The police department. Almost every single business. Land ownership. Everything is in their pockets. And that's just here, the rest of the world is just as much of a sandbox for them."</p>
<p>"Then don't you think they'd have won by now?" Magnum questioned, and Raptor took notice that she'd referred to the Messiah as 'they' and not 'we'. He paused. "You're... you're really serious about this, aren't you?"</p>
<p>"I've never been more serious. You know better than anyone else how... how evil the Messiah can be. How evil my <em>dad</em> can be. I'm tired of living this life that I have no control over, in fear of failure, and..." Her voice trailed off. "This isn't something I just suddenly decided. I've been thinking about this for a very long time. I know you have, too."</p>
<p>"Hmph."</p>
<p>"It's alright, you don't have to say it. I know you agree," Magnum said with absolute certainty- Raptor could try to hide it all he wanted. She knew that he felt the same way she did, but the difference was a lot deeper than her having extra protection from her father being the Messiah's leader. She'd only ever seen the Messiah hurt people; Raptor had experienced the pain firsthand. They'd ruined any chance he could ever possibly have of a normal life, and for what? So that he could fight for them. So that he could be a weapon.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you to talk about this," Magnum sighed. "I just... I want things to change. Both of us deserve better. The <em>world </em>deserves better."</p>
<p>Raptor didn't say anything, instead falling completely silent as he stared at the wall, neglecting his noodles that he'd only taken a couple bites from. Magnum opted to leave it at that for now. He needed time to think, clearly, so she continued to eat her ramen in silence.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"No hidden cells? No out-of-the-way jailhouses? Anywhere Undyne would take somebody to lock them up?"</p>
<p>Trickster stood in Police Chief Dowary's office, and he was appearing flustered, sweating and adjusting his collar every now and again. "N-no ma'am." He replied. "I've been monitoring Officer Dhelaron heavily ever since she-"</p>
<p>"It's what she was doing before you started monitoring her that has me worried. Get back to work or whatever. The Messiah doesn't need you anymore right now." She waved her hand dismissively, and Dowary hurried to the door, opening it for her. "Of course, ma'am. Have a lovely day..."</p>
<p>Trickster was about ready to pull her hair out in frustration; what a waste of time... but on the bright side, she was certain that the next place on the list was where Magnum was. There was no other place she would be.</p>
<p>All her efforts would finally be worth it as soon as she found Magnum... And even if she wasn't at the laboratory, Trixie could always pay a visit to the skeleton responsible for her disappearance. "Mag... you really are always in the last place I look..."</p>
<p>On her way out the door, she bumped shoulders with a particular fish monster who was coming up the steps. The two briefly looked at each other, before continuing on their way, Trickster picking up her pace, and disappearing around the corner before Undyne did a double-take.</p>
<p>She was interrupted when "UNDYNE!" Was suddenly yelled from her boss in his office. With a groan, Undyne made a beeline for the door.</p>
<p>Trickster stared back at the police department for a moment, holding a walking stick as she stared through old wizened eyes and wiggled her spruce mustache, remaining in her disguise for a moment, before continuing on, deciding to keep the disguise for now.</p>
<p>Her next stop was obviously the laboratory, but the only issue was, she couldn't go in yet. Unlike the other places she'd visited, Alphys's place wasn't managed or monitored very closely by the Messiah, mostly due to it being a rather new facility, in addition to being funded by outside scientific communities.</p>
<p>Trickster had devised a plan- she'd sit outside the lab in disguise, pretend to be a harmless old man... and wait to see who dropped by the most. Wait to see who Alphys trusted without a doubt in her mind.</p>
<p>Then she would move in, and find Magnum.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"HYAH!"</p>
<p>A small fist collided with a much larger individual's chest. "Ocherednoy raz!" The larger person yelled. He was tall, towering over the white-blonde boy, with shaggy black hair and an unkempt beard. He was without a shirt, wearing only pants and a headband.</p>
<p>Krashna landed another punch to Nikolai's chest, who nodded in approval. "Ocherednoy raz!"</p>
<p>Another hit.</p>
<p>"Ocherednoy raz!"</p>
<p>Another.</p>
<p>"Ocherednoy raz!"</p>
<p>"Ocherednoy raz!"</p>
<p>"Ocherednoy raz!"</p>
<p>"Alright, enough." Krashna shook his head irritably, shaking his hand slightly. He was powerful, but Nikolai's steel defenses were practically impossible to break, which made him a much better training dummy than anything humanity could conjure up, not to mention Nikolai enjoyed taking the hits, believing it strengthened him as well.</p>
<p>"Vy popravlyayetes'. YA pochti pochuvstvoval posledniy udar." Nikolai nodded to the boy, grabbing a towel nearby in the mostly dark room, wrapping it around his neck.</p>
<p>"Your defenses are as formidable as ever," Krashna responded politely, something he only ever did toward his fellow Leaders. He picked up a towel of his own, dabbing away the sweat beads on his forehead, before slinging it over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Mne nuzhno vypit'," Nikolai stated as he rolled his shoulder a bit. "Ty khochesh' prisoyedinit'sya ko mne?"</p>
<p>"I don't see why not," Krashna shrugged.</p>
<p>Luckily, the Messiah's private bar contained root beer.</p>
<p>The two made their way out of the training room, walking through the underground Messiah base as they went, striding past their units, who stopped to stand at attention as they walked by. "Father still hasn't returned, hm?" Krashna asked absentmindedly, to which Nikolai scoffed. "Konechno net. On skoro k nam prisoyedinitsya, mne skazali, chto yego novyy plan budet boleye effektivnym, chem nash predydushchiy."</p>
<p>"Straighten your back!" Krashna barked at a grunt they were passing, who fumbled with the weapon he was holding, accidentally dropping it. The weapon went off when it hit the ground, firing a single bullet that zigzagged down the hall before becoming lodged in the wall.</p>
<p>"Durak." Nikolai hissed, turning around and grabbing the grunt by his collar, pulling him forward as he cried out in fear. "Ne mogli by vy stat' yeshche glupeye? Pochemu by mne ne ubit' tebya seychas za tvoyu neuklyuzhest'?"</p>
<p>"Leader Nikolai- Leader Krashna- please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please don't kill me!" the grunt croaked, begging fearfully for his life. Nikolai scoffed once again, throwing the grunt to the ground in disgust. "If our lieutenants are anywhere near as incompetent as this yokel, it's no wonder the attacks failed," Krashna stated firmly, arms folded as he eyed the grunt.</p>
<p>"I-It won't happen again! I promise!" the grunt pleaded.</p>
<p>"Ubiraysya s glaz moikh, kretin," Nikolai growled, to which to grunt ran off down the hall as fast as he could manage.</p>
<p>"Did you just call him a nerd?" Krashna asked Nikolai, humor dancing in his eyes. Nikolai grunted in reply. "Net, ya nazval yego kretinom."</p>
<p>"Nerd. That's what I said."</p>
<p>"Kretin."</p>
<p>"Oh."</p>
<p>Once that issue was resolved, the two then continued to make their way through the underground base, occasionally checking in with one of the guards for a report; until, finally, they came to an archway. Beyond it was a most extravagant bar, complete with beautiful fluorescent lighting, a pool table, and just about every beverage, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, known to man.</p>
<p>This was actually Krashna and Nikolai's usual go-to after working out, though the latter won every single time at pool.</p>
<p>Despite all circumstances, the two leaders were fairly relaxed with recent events. Sure, things hadn't gone according to plan and they'd lost two lieutenants in the process. That just opened up room for two more to take their place- and such auditions would be held later that day once their third leader was finally present.</p>
<p>Nikolai almost immediately went for his drink of choice, vodka on the rocks with lime to make it a little bit more sophisticated. Krashna, meanwhile, cracked open a nice, cold bottle of root beer; despite Krashna being a feared leader of the Messiah, the head leader still forbade him from drinking until the age of twenty-one. Personally, Krashna didn't really like this rule, but the Father was the big man himself. Nobody messed with him, not even Nikolai. Or even Demon. It's just how it was.</p>
<p>Though that didn't stop Nikolai from sometimes offering Krashna a vodka, who'd usually refuse out of fear and respect for Father.</p>
<p>"Te deti, za kotorymi vy nablyudayete. Naskol'ko oni opasny na samom dele?" Nikolai asked, taking a swig of vodka. "They're not as bad as I thought," Krashna replied. "They all have potential, but not once have I seen any of them really honing their abilities. I do worry about the girl with the SOUL of Determination, though."</p>
<p>"Byvshiy posol, Frisk Dreemurr," Nikolai nodded, taking another swig.</p>
<p>"That's the one. As incompetent as she seems, she did help pull off the destruction of the Barrier. But I don't think she'll be much more trouble than the others; she's grown too carefree."</p>
<p>"YA pogovoryu s mater'yu kretina. Na etot raz zastav'te yeye povinovat'sya." Nikolai nodded, downing the last of his vodka as Krashna smirked. "You meant nerd this time, right?"</p>
<p>"YA ne ponimayu, o chem vy govorite." Was all Nikolai said before wandering back to get more vodka in a larger glass.</p>
<p>Krashna took a drink of his root beer, silently wondering how much help that nerd would even be when the time to strike finally rolled around. Not that he underestimated Nikolai's ability to make a hesitant party cooperate; the Russian had many talents, and intimidation was one of them.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The hours passed by, and in no time at all, the sun was setting over the horizon, disappearing behind the remains of Mt. Ebott. Trickster sat on a bench uncomfortably, feeling her rear go numb as she stared across the street at the laboratory. All day she'd been here and she hadn't seen a single soul enter or leave.</p>
<p>She was tempted to infiltrate the place at nightfall, but another, more paranoid part of her wanted to wait until someone entered, or left. Almost immediately as that thought concluded, a vehicle pulled up to the nearby curb, ever so slowly. Inside of the car was a familiar blue fish monster, who looked incredibly pissed.</p>
<p>Okay. Now she was getting somewhere. She considered getting closer in an attempt to see, or even hear, what was going on inside, but that'd be a risky move and potentially blow her cover.</p>
<p>As Undyne emerged from the car, her eyes instantly locked with the disguised Trickster, folding her arms. "...didn't I see you at the police station?" she questioned.</p>
<p>"Eh? Raisins?" Trickster furrowed her brow, perfectly mimicking the voice of a confused elderly man. "Police station," Undyne corrected.</p>
<p>"Pardon?"</p>
<p>"POLICE- oh, damn it, I don't care," Undyne snarled, clearly already frustrated enough from her day.</p>
<p>"More raisins for me." Trickster replied as Undyne made her way into the lab, and Trickster looked about her. She was completely alone.</p>
<p>Quickly, she stood as her form shifted, and she now had the appearance of some random delinquent she'd seen spray painting underneath a bridge once, with baggy jeans, a baggy shirt, and a sideways ball cap. With that, she dashed to the side of the building and found herself a window to duck under. The windows were closed, so hearing wasn't an option, but with it getting dark she could sneak a few peaks.</p>
<p>Trickster could see Undyne approaching a yellow dinosaur monster about half her height- Alphys, no doubt. The smaller girl looked a bit troubled by Undyne's foul mood- they didn't say much to each other... and then they started walking toward the far end of the lab, forcing the assassin to move to a different window for a better view.</p>
<p>She watched as they approached a door, which opened and the two walked inside, the door closing behind them. Trickster frowned, narrowing her eyes. The building didn't seem to have any more room for wherever they'd gone, leading the girl into believing it must have been an elevator of some kind, and with the lack of additional floors above, that could only mean there was more below.</p>
<p>Trickster scowled through the window; she wouldn't be able to access the lower floors at the moment, which pissed her off, but now she was almost certain that Magnum was down there.</p>
<p>Finally... Trixie was finally going to get her back. And she wasn't going to let Alphys, Sans, or even Undyne get in her way.</p>
<p>...but even so, it would have to wait. Trixie just didn't know how patient she could be.</p>
<p>It would be best to let the leaders know, especially Father. Maybe he could even help her. She'd heard rumors about Alphys and what she was capable of. Stories of freak experimentations on other monsters that left the subjects in a worse fate than anything even the Messiah had done. Rumors of deadly traps and inventions. Talk was that the monster scientist was ruthless and cruel beneath her act of a nervous and sweet young woman.</p>
<p>Trickster turned, ready to return to the base and tell Father what she'd learned... perhaps he could provide her with some blueprints; she wanted to know every in and out of this laboratory. There was no way she could mess this up now, not after coming so far.</p>
<p>"I'm coming to save you," Trixie whispered, taking one final peak through the glass. "Just hang tight a little bit longer."</p>
<p>Inside, Magnum perked up when she heard the familiar ding of the elevator, and peered out to see Undyne and Alphys exit, deep in conversation.</p>
<p>"-still being held. They aren't even being given a chance at parole." Undyne was saying, appearing extremely annoyed. "T-there's gotta be a way we c-can clear their names..." Alphys stammered, appearing extremely anxious.</p>
<p>Undyne stared at two prisoners for a couple of seconds, noticing that Magnum seemed to be in good shape, more or less- Raptor, on the other hand, was looking awfully pale, and hadn't eaten much of the food Alphys had given him.</p>
<p>"If there is, I don't know yet." Undyne replied, narrowing her eyes as she slowly made her way to the cell, her eye quickly catching onto the harmonica in the corner of the room atop a fluffy pillow on Magnum's side. "You're giving them entertainment, Alphys?" She scoffed. "What, gonna install a TV into their cell, next?"</p>
<p>"That'd actually be great." Magnum stated, but was silenced by a threatening glare Undyne shot at her.</p>
<p>"I-I just figured they'd get bored in there," Alphys swallowed.</p>
<p>"Who cares? The more bored they get, the more likely they are to give up information," Undyne grunted, arms folded.</p>
<p>"I'm glad the fish one isn't smart enough to be a scientist," Raptor whispered to Magnum, the pink haired girl suppressing a smirk as Undyne looked over, a murderous look in her eye. "I heard that," she hissed.</p>
<p>"I know." Raptor replied as Undyne conjured a spear in her hand, taking a step forward. "Wanna go round two? I'll kick your ass again."</p>
<p>"U-Undyne, please stop." Alphys intruded, stepping in front of Undyne. "Maybe we should go back upstairs..."</p>
<p>"If you think you can get lucky again," Raptor jabbed, appearing calm, which just pissed Undyne off even more. Despite Alphys' best efforts, her girlfriend raised up the blue spear and threw it through the energy barrier, the weapon flying toward Raptor.</p>
<p>Raptor simply leaned to the side, and the spear missed his head by an inch. For a guy who'd spent days in a cell underground, his reflexes were quite sharp.</p>
<p>"Undyne!" Alphys yelled, and Undyne finally looked at her. "What!?"</p>
<p>"Out. Upstairs. Now." The smaller monster ordered, taking Undyne aback. She quickly recovered, staring at Raptor for a moment, before heading for the elevator, the blue spear disappearing. Once the door had closed behind her, Alphys turned to the prisoners. "S-sorry about that. Undyne has... a temper."</p>
<p>"Whatever." Raptor replied, still facing the wall of his cell. "So does he." Magnum replied, giving Alphys a smile. "Thanks, by the way. That was... cool of you."</p>
<p>"Y-Yeah..." Alphys smiled back nervously- but the only reason she was nervous was because she knew that, the moment she got back up there, she would have to face Undyne. An Undyne who'd just gotten back from another awful day at work, and was just a ticking bomb waiting to explode. "I-I'll be back later," Alphys told them, before turning and heading back toward the elevator.</p>
<p>"Later, dude." Magnum replied, snatching up her harmonica and beginning to play.</p>
<p>"I'd say you were getting better, but that'd be a lie." Raptor stated.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The aptly named 'Arena' was one of the oldest underground facilities the Messiah had. Some nights, it was considered a Dead Pool instead. Nights where murder was allowed, when two members found themselves at odds and decided to settle their differences in a fight to the death. Arena Fights were more for entertainment, and to train up members. Tonight, however, was different. It was Promotion night, something they hadn't done for almost three years now ever since Magnum had been promoted to a lieutenant.</p>
<p>Now, two more lieutenants were needed, and a tournament was being held. The last two standing would become the new lieutenants, having proven their worth through blood and wrath. "This should be fun," Krashna's voice spoke; on a two-layered balcony overlooking the entirety of the Arena, three thrones were in place so that the leaders could check out the carnage.</p>
<p>In one throne sat Krashna, on the lower level of the balcony, and adjacent to him was Nikolai, who had a cigarette in his hand, watching with mild interest. Behind them, on the upper level of the balcony was an empty throne- presumably because Father had yet to arrive for the entertaining deathmatch.</p>
<p>"Otets dolzhen byt' zdes'."</p>
<p>Krashna rolled his eyes. "Relax. He'll be here soon." Nikolai said nothing in return as the stands around the Arena filled with those too afraid to test their worth and become lieutenants. They'd amassed a total of twenty three individuals seeking their promotion, and only two would come out alive.</p>
<p>"My ne mozhem nachat', poka on ne priyedet." Nikolai growled. Krashna shrugged. "That's not true. Two leaders are present. Two is enough."</p>
<p>"Otets deystvitel'no dolzhen prisutstvovat' dlya etogo."</p>
<p>"Oh, come now, don't be a stick in the mud," Krashna smirked, propping his elbow on the arm of his throne, leaning his head against his palm. "On byl by zol, yesli by my nachali bez nego," Nikolai replied. "If you insist, we can wait for him... but our participants are looking a bit antsy," Krashna noted with a yawn.</p>
<p>On que, the door behind them opened, and a tall figure stepped out. Wordlessly, he made his way to the center throne, and sat down. "Perfect timing. Can we start now?" Krashna whined. The Father looked toward Nikolai from the shadows of where he sat, and nodded.</p>
<p>The Spirit stood, and began to address the crowd. "Segodnya budet pamyatnyy den'. Krovoprolitiye i velichayshaya sila v mire podnimutsya zdes' i stanut izvestnymi kak nastoyashchiye chempiony sredi nashikh brat'yev i sester. Tol'ko dvoye ostanutsya zhivymi. Vyvedi konkursantov!"</p>
<p>When he finished, a large gate at the head of the arena slowly lifted itself, and all of the contestants walked out. They were all armed differently, and wore different armor, but the similarity between them all were the ski masks covering their face. Every single member of the Messiah was forced to wear one at all times until they'd proven their worth. Once a lieutenant, they had free reign over themselves, with only the Trinity to answer to.</p>
<p>A man- also a mask-wearing member of the Messiah- stood in the center of the arena, dressed in black and white stripes so the participants wouldn't confuse him for a foe. He held a simple pistol, which was raised into the air- the grunts had about ten seconds to scatter before that bullet went into the air, signaling for them to start.</p>
<p>
  <em>Bang!</em>
</p>
<p>Everyone watched in amazement; how eager that twenty-three people were to slaughter each other would easily be disturbing to an outsider perspective. A variety of differently colored weapons appeared out of thin air.</p>
<p>So began the fateful battle.</p>
<p>The match began, and immediately, one man of note took everyone's interest. A tall grunt wearing nothing but shorts and his mask as he leaped into the air, an ebony katana in his hand. He leaped up over everyone's heads, slamming a foot into someone's face as he moved, dodging a scythe's blade before driving his blade down through the top of someone's chest and out their lower back, immediately dropping them.</p>
<p>With the first kill of the match, a collection of cheers erupted from the crowds, and Nikolai leaned forward in mild interest.</p>
<p>On the other side of the arena, another man was quickly beginning to dominate his opponents- he was at least a foot taller than most of his foes, and in each hand, he wielded shining emerald chains. With rapid swings, he was already relentlessly grappling and flinging his fellow Messiah Grunts around like ragdolls. One of the chains latched onto the leg of a female grunt wielding knuckle dusters- the man swung the chain upwards, sending her into the air...</p>
<p>And when he brought it back down, the body became nothing more than a bloody, boney mess. The crowd cheered some more at the second death.</p>
<p>"Hey there, handsome," an alluring voice seemed to whisper in the man's ear. "May I have this dance?" He turned to look at the foe, and nearly burst out laughing. Across from him was a girl with short pink hair, about two feet shorter than him and wielding what looked like a stick glowing hot pink at the tip. The top half of her face was covered by the typical mask, yet her mouth was not concealed, revealing a pair of smirking red lips.</p>
<p>"Don't waste my time," the man snarled, and with a flick of the wrist, his chains wrapped around the pink-haired grunt's leg. In one fluid motion, she, too, was sent flying into the air.</p>
<p>But this was different- unlike the man's previous victim, this girl was fast enough to react. She simply tapped the end of her stick against the chains, and they began to crumble away into thin air- much to the shock of their wielder.</p>
<p>Before he had a chance to recover, she landed on him, stick being slammed down his throat, shattering through the ski mask. He gagged and shouted, but was unable to make much noise at all.</p>
<p>"Sens mon amour," the girl whispered, before an explosion within caused the man to turn to ash.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the grunt with a katana was busy against a massive foe, who carried a gigantic hammer over his shoulder, his body covered in heavy armor. Katana slashed against his chest piece to no avail as the hammer-wielding grunt swung the hammer heavily, completely missing katana guy, who dove away, and the hammer drove into an adjacent girl holding a num-chuk. Her headless body was rolling across the metallic floor a moment later, and the hammer grunt roared, charging after the katana-wielding grunt who ran and weaved through other grunts, who were all tearing each other apart, much to the delight of the crowd.</p>
<p>"Teper' eto bitva!" Nikolai laughed, slamming his fist against his throne in joy, watching as an eyeball flew by. "They're killing each other without any hesitation," Krashna said in a giddy voice, his golden eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched the blood spill. The grunts were merciless, and the spectators were adoring every second of it.</p>
<p>The pink-haired woman was now up against a woman with long, silky black hair, wielding a simple teal blade. "Boring weapon," the stick-holder noted, throwing her own at the girl, who raised her blade to slash it...</p>
<p>And, unfortunately for her, the upper forty percent of her body was blasted into a pile of ash in the wind.</p>
<p>"Sens mon amour," the pink-haired girl whispered, placing her hands together, as if praying. Another stick materialized in her hands, attention shifting to the other side of the arena, watching the massive user of a hammer stomping his way through.</p>
<p>"Fun!" she squealed, jamming the stick into the ground, letting it blast, sending her flying into the air above in the general direction of the large opponent at rapid speeds.</p>
<p>The hammer grunt barreled through other grunts, whose numbers were quickly dwindling, before the entire arena lit up, and electricity arced through the air, slamming into him. He stood still for a moment, before dropping- dead, his body smoldering from the blow.</p>
<p>The katana user stopped, whirling about to see another grunt holding a guitar, his arm in the air, before striking down as his fingers slashed across the strings. At once, lightning struck from his fist, circulating around the guitar, before jetting out to the katana user, who dove to the side just as the lightning struck the wall behind him, echoing with a thunderous boom.</p>
<p>The pink haired girl pouted under her mask as she landed on the lifeless corpse of the man with the hammer- she'd wanted that one for herself. She didn't have a lot of time to fuss about it, though. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see something flying toward her. The girl ducked just in time, a boomerang flying past her head, before curving midair and coming back to try again, but it was once again evaded.</p>
<p>The boomerang made its way back to the user, a redhead who was either a girl, or a young boy with long hair. It didn't make much difference to her, though.</p>
<p>They struck the boomerang with their palm instead of catching it, which actually seemed to make it pick up even more speed as it came back toward its target.</p>
<p>Only four contestants remained, and they were in heated conflict. Boomerang and pink hair were busy with a back and forth, dodging boomerangs and explosions, diving about as katana and guitar did the same, though it was far more one-sided as katana could barely keep up with the constant barrage of electrical strikes coming his way.</p>
<p>Suddenly, katana found himself back-to-back with pink hair, and he glanced back at her. "Team-up?" He asked, his voice low and gruff.</p>
<p>"Switch opponents." She replied with a subtle wink.</p>
<p>They both dived away from each other as a bolt of lightning passed by where they'd just been standing as katana sliced upward, cutting the boomerang in half. "Your toy is gone." He told the grunt.</p>
<p>"Heeeeey~" pink hair greeted guitar in a flirtatious voice, causing him to scoff in annoyance. It quickly became obvious that these matchups were much better for both katana and pink-hair, the former being able to cut through the boomerangs like butter, while the latter was much more agile, weaving through shots of electric, musically-charged SOUL energy.</p>
<p>Pink hair jammed her stick into the ground once again, placing a foot on the other end of it. The blast propelled her toward guitar at a blurring speed, but guitar was able to play a quick note on his guitar at the last second. The weak static energy formed in front of him to counter the explosive stick that appeared in pink hair's hand, but the blast reduced it to nothing in a split second- ripping guitar's string-striking arm off in the process.</p>
<p>He staggered for a moment, looking down at the stump, before falling down backward just as katana dove past another boomerang, cutting it in half, and launching himself as fast as he could past boomerang, slashing as he did so. When he came to a stop, his opponent fell to their knees, before falling to the ground, head rolling away.</p>
<p>Katana sheathed his weapon, a smirk dancing beneath his mask as he turned to face his fellow lieutenant. "Looks like we're lieutenants now." As he said this, he approached her, and bowed at the waist. She rolled her eyes in return, but her smile remained plastered on her face.</p>
<p>Another gunshot was fired into the air, meaning that the combat had officially ended. The crowd was quiet for a few seconds, before a roar of cheers filled the entire Arena, the two survivors standing among the corpses of nearly two dozen of their once-allies.</p>
<p>"Sud okonchen. U nas dvoye," Nikolai stated calmly, as if he hadn't just watched twenty men and women get mangled. He took a drink of vodka, looking over at Krashna, who had a satisfied grin on his face. Father simply continued to stare out at the battlefield.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Not even thirty minutes later, the leaders had moved from the arena, now standing in the dark above a platform. The meeting chamber, where Trickster kneeled before them. "You called us to this meeting." Krashna stated. "This had better be good."</p>
<p>"Don't worry, my leaders, this is information I'm sure you'll want to hear," Trickster reassured. "At least... I'm certain Father would want to hear this." The Son and The Spirit both turned their heads to look at The Father momentarily, before their piercing gazes went back to Trickster. "I know where they've been keeping Magnum," Trixie stated. "She's in a laboratory owned by Alphys, a monster scientist. The monster Undyne appeared there with her. Magnum should be located in the lower levels- somewhere."</p>
<p>There was a moment of silence, before Krashna took a step forward. "You don't sound certain. Who's to say the lazy monster didn't off her and you're still clinging to false hope."</p>
<p>"I'm certain." Trickster replied, narrowing her eyes. "I've searched everywhere else, and the fish monster has no reason to travel beneath the laboratory with the scientist."</p>
<p>"Vy znali, chto Undyne imeyet s ney romanticheskiye otnosheniya?" Nikolai asked, staring down upon Trickster, who pursed her lips. "N-no..."</p>
<p>"You're looking for proof where there is none." Krashna rolled his eyes. "I thought I told you to-" He stopped as Father raised a single hand, and all eyes turned to him. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Our lieutenant is there." He stated. "As is our lost one. Trickster, you will free them and kill the scientist and Raptor when the day comes, but you must <em>wait</em>."</p>
<p>Trickster opened her mouth to argue against this, wanting to save Magnum now, but stopped, knowing just how bad it would be to speak against the Father, who continued. "Meet our new lieutenants in the command quarters, and they will inform you of the next phase of our plans. Dismissed."</p>
<p>With that, the leaders turned and walked away.</p>
<p>Trickster hadn't had the luxury of getting to see who the new lieutenants were back in the Arena, so she wasn't sure what to expect... Raptor and Minerva's replacements... Trixie wondered if she could get along with them.</p>
<p>Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Trickster tried to stay in the mindset of saving Magnum even as she began to make her way toward the command quarters. She wanted to know everything possible about the new plan; after all, there was no way she would screw it up.</p>
<p>She was going to rescue Magnum.</p>
<p>Absolutely.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The winding halls eventually led her to the command quarters, which was emblazoned with the emblem of the sun. The sun used to be the symbol of the Messiah and the 'cleansing light' they led upon the world. It had been a long time since anything had been like that, and it was long before her time, but some members still tried to follow the older ways of the Messiah, including the Father himself.</p>
<p>When the doors parted, granting her entry, she was greeted by the sight of all the lieutenants together. Warmth was in the corner of the room, staring blankly forward, his arm in a cast. Truck, still beaten and bloodied, now sat at the center table, watching as two people played cards. The two newcomers. A man and woman. The man was wearing what looked like a full, white kimono, a black cloth tied around his waist, sandals on his feet. He had short, scraggly black hair and pale skin. Most notably, he had ambidextrous eyes. One was a bright blue, the other a deep scarlet. It was offputting. The man held up five cards, before setting them on the table. "Full boat." He declared, folding his arms as he stared at his opponent.</p>
<p>The pink haired girl sitting across from him took a look at the cards. She wore a frilly black outfit similar to that of a maid's, with a red flower pinned to a dark bowtie on the front of her outfit. "Oh, my... you're so good at this game, aren't you~?" the girl flirted, batting her eyelashes at the man. "I could never hope to truly beat someone like you, I suppose... I must have just gotten lucky."</p>
<p>She revealed her hand- a four-of-a-kind.</p>
<p>Trickster folded her arms, approaching the table. "I hate to interrupt, but-"</p>
<p>"Hi, Tricky!"</p>
<p>"...hello, Truck."</p>
<p>The girl ignored Trickster, though the guy in the kimono acknowledged her with a nod to show he'd heard her before addressing his opponent's four-of-a-kind. "I concede. You're the better player. This time." He gave her a nod and a smile, standing up to bow to her. Tricxie simply felt generally weirded out by this, unused to anybody in the Messiah being so... what's the word... a good sport?</p>
<p>"I'm flattered," pink hair replied in a hushed, almost seductive tone, waggling her fingers at him, before turning to look at Trickster. "Is there something we can do for you? We're sort of in the middle of a game, you see..." Trickster glanced over at Warmth, who rolled his eye, clearly just as irritated by these new lieutenant's, or atleast the girl's, behavior as she was. "The Leaders told me to come to you for information on the new plan," Trickster informed the two.</p>
<p>"Yes, that." The kimono replied as he returned to his seat, collecting the cards to deal them out again, even starting a hand for Truck, who looked excited at the inclusion. "Phase one of our plans did not go to according to plan." He began. "Since last phase went so horribly, the leaders decided to repeat it." Pink hair continued. "New assignments, mostly the same targets, and this time it's all happening on the same day. Two weeks from now today."</p>
<p>"Even Leader Krashna is getting involved." Kimono added, though his gaze appeared clouded and distracted as he finished dealing their hands, offering Trixie a hand which she refused. Pink hair, on the other hand, was looking in disappointment at her empty shot glass. She was more in-line with what represented the Messiah, but the man... he stuck out like a sore thumb. "List is over by Warmth." Pink hair stated, gesturing softly over toward Warmth, who only blinked in response, a piece of paper taped to the wall.</p>
<p>Trickster opened her mouth in surprise- Krashna was getting involved? It was rare that a leader actually bothered to dirty their hands with this kind of thing, but then again, he was already fairly active for a leader, even going undercover in Voxis High...</p>
<p>Trickster slowly approached the list beside Warmth, who didn't move or say anything as she read.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>PHASE 1.2</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Demon - Asgore, Frisk</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Trickster - Alphys</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Warmth - Mettaton, Papyrus</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Truck - Undyne</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Krashna - Terrence, Rian, Sadie</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mióm &amp; Mosu Takibi - Gerson</em>
</p>
<p>"...have you seen Demon around lately?" Trickster asked Warmth, pulling back from the list. He only scoffed in reply. "The less I have to see of that freak, the better." Trickster blinked, continuing to stare at him. He looked back at her. "...no. I haven't."</p>
<p>"If I recall... Psycho was one of our more ineffectual Lieutenants." Kimono spoke up- or Mosu, according to the list. "I hope that I can be of better use to the Messiah." Warmth's eye twitched at the mention of Psycho. When nobody spoke, Mosu continued. "And I promise not to try to eat anyone." He smirked slightly, thinking he was making a joke. Warmth shook his head, before turning away and leaving the room.</p>
<p>"Did I upset him?" Mosu stared after Warmth, before looking at the others. "Were they close?"</p>
<p>"Something like that." Trickster replied with a shrug.</p>
<p>"And I'm certain I'm nicer to look at than that feathered fellow," Mióm said, twirling a bit of her pink hair with a finger. The lieutenants weren't really supposed to get attached to each other, but it did sting a bit when the former ones were talked about in such a way. Even Psycho. The talk of Raptor was especially difficult for Trixie- after all, she'd been ordered to kill him...</p>
<p>"What? Nothing?" Mióm fake-pouted.</p>
<p>"My apologies." Mosu offered to Trickster, appearing slightly ashamed. Truck lost interest in the cards, and turned to Trickster. "I have to fight fish lady." He told her. "Warmy told me it will be hard. He said I'll die. Is that true? I... don't want to die." His face, despite still being completely messed up, was full of obvious fear. "Nobody else here would know better than him," Trixie admitted, uncertain of how she could possibly reassure him. "...it's a strong opponent, Truck. But expecting failure is a bad mindset. You'll have to set your eyes on the prize if you want to excel. This is your chance for redemption."</p>
<p>Truck whimpered- Trixie wasn't really sure what to say aside from that. After all, Undyne had fought both Warmth and Raptor at the same time. "Aw, are they trying to replace all of you?" Mióm teased, not-so-discreetly running her foot up Mosu's leg underneath the table, who seemed to pale at the touch, his body going rigid.</p>
<p>"My chance... for redemption..." Truck frowned, taking her words into surprisingly careful consideration. "...thank you, Tricky. I feel better now." He smiled at her, revealing several missing teeth. She gave him an awkward smile back. "No problem." She watched as he left, before turning to the remaining two in the room, one of which seemed about to pass out, and the other about to... do something else as she slipped a bit of her shirt off her shoulder. Trickster rolled her eyes in disgust as she turned and left.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I still don't get why the turtle is a target. We should give the newbies something <em>real </em>to face." Krashna folded his arms as he stared at the back of Father's head, who was staring into an aquarium, several exotic fish floating past. He said nothing, so Krashna continued. "And Magnum. Even if she is somehow still alive, she'll no doubt turn on us. Or run. Both her and Raptor. She's never wanted to be here and you know it."</p>
<p>Still silence. Nikolai stood near the door of the room, cigar in his mouth as he watched the scene unfold.</p>
<p>"Need I mention your long absences? You've been abandoning your duties for your own secret agenda, and it's doing nobody any wonders." Krashna took a step forward, golden eyes shining brightly.</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>Krashna let out a strained growl of frustration. "Why won't you talk?" He demanded. Finally, the Father lifted a hand, and the boy fell silent. Father softly swished a glass of iced brandy in his hand, staring thoughtfully at the fish. A good minute of silence passed by, before he spoke. "Once upon a time, there were two brothers." He said. "These brothers were powerful. Handsome. Intelligent. Gifted. They assisted their father, the King, with ruling their lands." He paused, taking a thoughtful sip of the brandy. "The King gave his sons autonomy over the lands. He told them that they could help him rule the land, on the condition they don't question his judgement."</p>
<p>A sudden school of fish suddenly swam by the glass in the large aquarium. "The eldest son did his best by the King, ruling over the kingdom with his father, obeying his every command, never once casting judgement on his decisions. So the King told his eldest son that one day, he would be King in his place. The second son did the same. He helped his father rule the kingdom, keeping peace and harmony, and never once question the King. He too, was promised to be King one day,"</p>
<p>"However, the youngest son didn't think this was possible. He did not believe that one day, two kings could rule the land. So he questioned his father. He demanded that the King change his law, and decree only one of his sons as the rightful heir to the throne. The King, however, did not choose. He had promised them both leadership and power, and would not choose one over the other. The youngest son took this as a sign of weakness and incompetence. He began to question his father's every decision, finding faults where they did not exist, becoming hateful and selfish, craving the power for himself."</p>
<p>"Father, what does this-" Krashna began, but was interrupted by a 'shush' from Nikolai. Father continued, "The King, saddened that his one rule had been broken, offered his youngest son one last chance. Resume life as it was, or die." He paused, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.</p>
<p>"That night, the King mourned the loss of his youngest son. The son he had loved the most. Now dead at his own hand. When the time came for the King to pass on, only the eldest son was left to rule the land, which was far too large to govern by himself. The Kingdom of Rose, and the Kingdom of Leaves. One for each son, merged into a great capital. Without the support of his younger brother, the eldest brother's power waned, and eventually, the people turned against him and his weakness. The Great Empire of Gardens fell that day, and in its stead, monsters rose, bringing forth the Kingdom of Hopes, ruled by the mighty Asgard Dreemurr." He stopped, and Krashna frowned. "This story was true?" He asked. The Father gave a slow nod, his back still to the others. "A story lost to time. A story from the first days of the Messiah. If we are not careful, we may share the same fate." He turned his gaze to look upon Krashna, glasses flashing brilliantly, reflecting the cool light of the aquarium. "Do not question me. Do not question my actions, or my decisions, lest you share the youngest son's fate, and ultimately, the Messiah's downfall."</p>
<p>Krashna couldn't believe what he was hearing, golden eyes burning with rage. Oh, how he hated this side of the Father- the secretive side. For all they knew, the man could have simply made up that story in order to get Krashna to keep his trap shut... and for what? "A touching tale," Krashna folded his arms. "But can you look me in the eyes and tell me that there's no truth in my words? This organization doesn't stand for sentiment or mercy, Father, there's no reason why we should be neglecting the truth for Magnum's sake."</p>
<p>"Your concerns are not invalid," the Father assured his fellow leader. "But I'll say it again. You must have faith in your king, young Krashna. What he does is for the benefit of the Messiah. You can't see it yet, but you will with time. Until that time comes, you are <em>not </em>to question me."</p>
<p>Krashna's eyes flickered with anger once again, but instead of arguing, he lowered his head slightly, saying nothing more.</p>
<p>Satisfied, the Father turned back to the aquarium. "Leave me." He ordered. "I need to think."</p>
<p>Krashna rolled his eyes before turning and walking out with Nikolai, who'd remained uncharacteristically silent the entire time. For several moments of silence, the Father stood there, before leaning forward and raising his arm to catch himself on the glass of the aquarium, quiet tears streaming down his face, his other hand clenched into a ball.</p>
<p>"My little girl... My Trinity..." He muttered under his breath, shutting his eyes tightly, shoulders shaking slightly, the leader of the most powerful organization in the world silently crying alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. "Sherudo"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Given a day with nothing to do, Terrence decides to meet some friends of Frisk.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"NO!"</p>
<p>Terrence shot up on the couch, blinking blearily as he smacked his lips, having been jolted awake by a yell from inside the house. He could hear heavy footsteps shake the house, the sounds of items being tossed about, before he remembered where he was. His eyes adjusted to the light streaming in, and they focused on a potted flower in the corner of the room.</p>
<p>Slowly, he swung his legs off the couch, tossing the blanket off of him, and stretching, listening as Frisk came down the stairs and entered Asgore's room. "What is it!?" She asked him.</p>
<p>Terrence smacked his lips again, ruffling his bed head for a second, then he rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh.</p>
<p>Where was he again?</p>
<p>Oh... right, he was staying over at Frisk's place. He stretched out a bit, feeling his back pop lightly, much to his satisfaction. Once he was done waking up, he began to worry about what was going on in Asgore's room- that shout had sounded urgent.</p>
<p>Terrence slowly stood up, just as Asgore politely told Frisk that there was nothing to worry about- reassuring his daughter that it was just a nightmare.</p>
<p>"Right. Your room being a mess was the result of a nightmare. Did you lose your favorite oven mitt again?" Frisk's voice drifted into the living room while Terrence did more stretching, popping his shoulders as he did so, letting out a satisfied sigh. "That's the spot..." He muttered.</p>
<p>"Er, yes... sorry, it's... embarrassing to admit to. Again." Asgore replied, and Terrence turned to the door just as the two were walking out. "Mornin', T." Frisk grinned widely at her boyfriend, who smiled back. "Hey, ba- uh, Frisk." He replied, glancing at Asgore, who seemed a little preoccupied as he made his way into the kitchen. "How'd you sleep?" Frisk asked, to which Terrence proceeded to pop his neck. "Like a baby's bottom."</p>
<p>Frisk giggled. "That's the wrong saying."</p>
<p>The boy winked. "I know."</p>
<p>Frisk rolled her eyes, smiling as she sat down beside him, quickly getting his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Despite her positive attitude, Terrence could tell she was worried- heck, so was he. It wasn't like Asgore to act like that... but then again, maybe he just <em>really </em>liked that oven mitt.</p>
<p>"And how'd you sleep?" Terrence asked her.</p>
<p>"Pretty well, but I felt a bit bad about you being out here on the couch," Frisk admitted.</p>
<p>"Don't worry about it, your couch is totally comfy," Terrence assured her, though the knot in his back disagreed.</p>
<p>"So, what do you want to do today?" Frisk asked after a moment of silence, and Terrence bit his cheek. "I uh... I'm actually a little busy today. Got some stuff I was supposed to do and I've been putting it off for too long."</p>
<p>"That's okay." His girlfriend replied, leaning into him. "We can hang out tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Yeah. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll see." He shrugged, and rested his cheek against her head.</p>
<p>The two remained in this position for a few minutes as Asgore prepared breakfast, occasionally whispering under his breath. Frisk could see that Asgore was using his favorite oven mitt from the couch, which worried her even more.</p>
<p>Terrence felt a vibration underneath him- his phone, as he'd fallen asleep with it in his pocket. When he opened it up, it said he'd called '*' 99 times the other night.</p>
<p>"That's the last time I sleep with my phone in my pocket," he scoffed, earning a giggle from Frisk. Another text he noticed made his blood run cold.</p>
<p>'<em>Head over to your foster parents' house ASAP, Terrence.'</em></p>
<p>The text was from a 'Marcus'. Marcus worked in the foster care system, and he'd made it his personal mission years ago to find Terrence a good home- but something always happened to screw it up. Usually, texts like this meant the foster family decided they didn't want him anymore.</p>
<p>He noticed the text had come early in the morning. 1:24. Terrence bit his lip, glancing down at Frisk, before making up his mind.</p>
<p>"Hey, so uh... something's come up. You don't mind if I head out, do you?"</p>
<p>"Not at all. Is everything alright?" Frisk asked with concern, to which Terrence shook his head.</p>
<p>"Nah, I just gotta go deal with something, it's nothing serious. I'll talk to you later."</p>
<p>He gave Frisk a kiss on the forehead and bid her farewell, Asgore waving goodbye from the kitchen.</p>
<p>With that, he was on his way, walking down the street in the early morning sun, the rest of Voxis still waking up. Some cars drove by, though not many as he made his way out of the 'rich neighborhood' as many of those living on his block would call it. He passed through the train yard, nearly 'home', before he stopped. He wasn't exactly eager to get back, and the local park, known as LaRain Park, was a good scenic detour.</p>
<p>The park was well-kept, and some considered it the pride and joy of Voxis City. The grass was cut perfectly even, and not a single blade looked dead. Flawless flowers decorated several patches of loose soil, giving the scenery some much-appreciated color...</p>
<p>But the real reason Terrence liked this park? The trees. If you sat under one for long enough, a cat would curl up in your lap within a few minutes, without fail- at least, in his experience. The trees here were tall, strong, and blossomed with beautiful flowers every spring.</p>
<p>This time, however, he didn't have the time to lounge around and wait for felines to keep him company. He passed through the park, taking in the scenery he could, before coming to a hedge wall, and upon glancing through the opening, he could see the statue of General Grain, some war hero from a long forgotten war. The statue had since been destroyed over the years, and bits of it remained. At the center of the statue sat a monster, a hard shell covering his back as he dug through the ruins, cackling to himself.</p>
<p>"Hey there," Terrence greeted, but the monster didn't respond, continuing his dig. "Uh- I know it's a public park, but I don't think they're fond of people digging through the-" Suddenly, the turtle-like monster turned his head to look at the orange-eyed boy. Terrence got a good look at the guy- extremely old, and he seemed to be wearing an explorer's hat of sorts tied around his chin, wearing beige garments with way too many pockets.</p>
<p>"Eh?" The monster stepped out of the ruins with surprising dexterity, hobbling his way over toward Terrence, raising a magnifying glass to his eye and peering at the boy closely through it. "Um..." Terrence frowned, taking a step back. "Oh my... oh my!" The monster began to cackle. "How extraordinary! You haven't aged a day, have you?"</p>
<p>Terrence blinked. "I'm uh... sorry, you must be confusing me-"</p>
<p>"With Lord Fallian, one of the Great Mages." The monster replied, putting away his magnifying glass. "I thought you were him, but to see you up close... that power... your SOUL... it's unmistakable!"</p>
<p>"Lord what now?" Terrence took a nervous step back, before having an idea. "Oh, I know what you want!" the blonde smiled, before reaching into his pocket and offering Gerson something- a five dollar bill. "Eh? You think I'm some kind of beggar?" Gerson questioned, appearing offended.</p>
<p>"Um... no, I'm sorry. This is the first time an old man has approached me in the park and not asked for cash."</p>
<p>"Old? I still have a few good years left in me, young one," he chuckled. "Now... about that SOUL of yours..."</p>
<p>"...What about it?" Terrence asked, still feeling really iffy about this entire interaction. "Well, show it to me!" Gerson replied. "Come on now, don't be shy."</p>
<p>Terrence gulped. "Uh... show... my SOUL?" He asked, and Gerson nodded eagerly. "I... don't know how to do that."</p>
<p>"Hm..." Gerson frowned, cocking his head to the side for a moment, before his face lit up. "I've an idea!" He suddenly pulled a stick out from behind him, and pressed a wooden button on the side. The stick elongated into a staff, which Gerson proceeded to whack him over the head with.</p>
<p>"Ow! What was that for!?" Terrence cried, shielding his head from any more sticks as Gerson appeared confused. "Odd. That usually works."</p>
<p>"Wh- do you make a habit of whacking people's souls out of their heads?" Terrence questioned, rubbing the bump Gerson's stick had made.</p>
<p>"No, no, but usually initiating a fight with a human will summon their SOUL," the turtle monster explained, which only confused Terrence even more. "How can you even tell my SOUL is powerful, anyways? If you can't even see it?"</p>
<p>"When you're over 2,000 years old, I'll tell you." Gerson stated matter-of-factly, and Terrence widened his eyes in surprise. "You're over 2,000?"</p>
<p>"Give or take a few leap days." The old turtle replied with a toothy grin, before he started to walk around Terrence. "Hm..." He jabbed him in the side, causing Terrence to jump again. "Hey-"</p>
<p>He got another jab under his arm. "Stop-"</p>
<p>A third jab straight at his left butt cheek. "Cut it out!" Terrence yelled, rubbing his bum as he glared at Gerson, who began stroking his chin with his long claws, pulling at a long, thin, white goatee. "Your SOUL is a shy one, eh?" He cackled. "Then I got one last trick up my sleeve!"</p>
<p>"I should probably go..." Terrence said, not wanting to get hit with a stick again, but the turtle didn't seem to be listening as he raised an arm toward Terrence, and suddenly, a burst of water shot from his palm, splashing against the boy, who stumbled back, now soaking wet- but that was put to the back of his mind as he saw a glowing orange heart appear before him. "Yes! HahahaHA!" Gerson clapped merrily, doing a little dance on the spot. "Pure Bravery! Purest as the time it was Lord Fallian's!"</p>
<p>"What did you- what's-"</p>
<p>"That, my boy, is your SOUL! Look at that glow- it's perfection! You're a lucky boy, a lucky boy indeed..."</p>
<p>Terrence stared at Gerson as the monster whispered to himself, only the word 'SOUL' audible enough that the boy could actually hear it. Finally, it dawned on Terrence that he was dripping with water. He couldn't get kicked out of his foster home looking like this; he could already hear Marcus's voice scolding him...</p>
<p>"This SOUL is remarkable. What's your name?" Gerson demanded. "Uh... Terrence." The boy replied, and Gerson's toothy grin widened. "Frisk's little lover!" He stated in recognition. "You have places to be, but I'd like you to come visit me this evening over at Crystal Cave, there's something I'd like to show you."</p>
<p>Terrence blinked. "Um... okay, I guess..."</p>
<p>"Terrific!" With that, Gerson strode off, using his staff as a walking stick while he hummed to himself.</p>
<p>Terrence watched the turtle man as he walked off, wondering how the guy had known about him and Frisk dating. Was he a friend of hers? He'd ask her later; maybe also get some directions to the Crystal Cave. He might have heard about the guy before... it's like his name was on the edge of his mind but he simply couldn't grasp it.</p>
<p>In the blink of an eye, Terrence's SOUL vanished into thin air. He wasn't totally sure how those worked, but he'd seen and heard plenty about them in the past.</p>
<p>...no time for that now, though. He had a house to get kicked out of.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Home sweet home..." Terrence sighed, stopping at the front porch of an apartment complex, staring up at it for a moment, before ascending the steps and making his way inside, ignoring a drunk old man in a heavy coat sitting in the corner of the room, beer in his hand.</p>
<p>He moved up to the next floor, approaching a door labelled '202'.</p>
<p>The instant he knocked, the door flew open, and there stood Marcus. Marcus was a good dude, and he'd done a lot for Terrence over the past few years, even though it seemed like a lost cause to land the boy in a home that could tolerate him. "Hey Marcus," Terrence greeted, biting the inside of his cheek. "What's up?"</p>
<p>"I think you know, Terrence," Marcus replied, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. "They told me you didn't spend a single night here."</p>
<p>"But-"</p>
<p>"They said you've been ignoring calls, staying out way past your curfew, never coming home..."</p>
<p>"Yeah... I know."</p>
<p>"What were you thinking?"</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. "It's not like there's much point in me staying anyways, is there? Foster parents are stupid, Marcus, I swear. They hate it when I'm around them, and they hate it when I'm not around them."</p>
<p>"Terrence, you're not even making an effort anymore. Did you try to have one good conversation with these people?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>"So what's your plan? To keep bouncing around foster homes until you're eighteen?"</p>
<p>"If that's what I have to do." Terrence stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking down.</p>
<p>"That's no way to live." Marcus said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, who let out a sigh. "Maybe, but... I don't really... belong with anybody in the foster care system. Now I'm too old for most to even care anymore." Marcus was silent for a moment, before he nodded out the door with his head. "Come on, I'm taking you back to the Jade House. We already cleared your stuff out of here, and..." He glanced back into the building. "They don't really want to say goodbye."</p>
<p>"That's fine. I don't either," Terrence replied. "I'm sorry. I know how hard it is to keep trying to find people for me, but there's just no point."</p>
<p>"Nice try," Marcus chuckled. "You aren't gonna convince me to give up on you, Terrence. And if I'm not willing to give up, you shouldn't be, either."</p>
<p>The two engaged in a bit of idle conversation as they made their way to Marcus's car- a grey BMW, which the man took great pride in, even going so far as to wrap the backseat down in plastic.</p>
<p>"How's school going?"</p>
<p>"Fine, I guess." Terrence shrugged. "Keeping up with my grades and all that."</p>
<p>"I don't imagine homework is the only reason you never come home?" Marcus asked, glancing at him as they made their way down the street, and a smirk tugged at Terrence's lips. "I... got a girlfriend." He admitted, and Marcus raised his brows, impressed. "Stop lying." He teased. "I'm not!" Terrence laughed, leaning back and staring out of the window. "Her name's Frisk."</p>
<p>"Frisk... isn't that the same name of that ambassador a few years back? The one for all those monsters?" Marcus inquired, and Terrence gave a nod. "One in the same."</p>
<p>"You aren't pulling my leg, are you Terrence?" Marcus smirked.</p>
<p>"No, I'm not. Here, I'll call her right now and-"</p>
<p>"No need, no need, I believe you," Marcus assured him with a chuckle. "You two aren't doing anything you shouldn't be, I hope."</p>
<p>"Of course not. We're two law-abiding citizens," Terrence promised. "And she's... a pretty good influence, I guess."</p>
<p>"Well, as long as you're staying out of trouble," Marcus shrugged. "How long have you two been together?"</p>
<p>"Not long. A few weeks," Terrence replied. "...but we dated before that, I guess, technically."</p>
<p>"So she's why you've been staying away." Marcus stated, and Terrence bit his lip. "I guess. I mean, partially. I just... you know I really don't like these foster homes. New families who want to tell me what to do and think they know what's best for me."</p>
<p>"Well, have you considered that maybe they do?" Marcus asked, glancing sideways at Terrence, who shrugged. "I kinda like being the one in control." He admitted.</p>
<p>"Look, Terrence- I get it. I was in the foster care system when I was a kid, and I hated it whenever my foster parents tried to tell me what to do- but I followed their rules, because they were authority, and it made me the man I am today."</p>
<p>"But it's... dumb," Terrence frowned.</p>
<p>"Gee, thanks."</p>
<p>"No- I mean- I just hate how I'm supposed to let strangers choose how my life goes."</p>
<p>"They don't have to be strangers. The whole point of this system is that you have to get to know these people, Terrence. You might feel differently if you find people who you really like. But if you don't, it's an opportunity you're never getting back."</p>
<p>"...it's a thousand times worse," Terrence sighed, "when I do get to know them, and they still don't want me."</p>
<p>"...yeah," Marcus nodded. "I know, Terrence. I know."</p>
<p>"Maybe I should just... leave the system, you know? I already know what I want to do." Terrence stated, and Marcus raised a brow. "What is it you want to do?"</p>
<p>Terrence paused. To be dead honest, he hadn't really been talking about occupations or anything of the sort. It wasn't exactly like he could say 'I want to stop an ancient organization attempting genocide on monsterkind'.</p>
<p>"I- um... I want to pursue... a career in, um..."</p>
<p>"'Um' doesn't pay well these days, I hear," Marcus teased.</p>
<p>"I want to be an author," Terrence replied, folding his arms. That had always been the career that came to mind when people asked, but he wasn't so sure about it, personally.</p>
<p>"An author? Terrence, I've seen your essays. I know you hate writing."</p>
<p>"Not true. I hate writing a twelve page essay about some city that existed a billion years ago, not all writing."</p>
<p>"Terrence, if you got out of the system right now, you'd be homeless. I know you want your independence, but I think you should keep trying for a family. You won't regret it."</p>
<p>"...I guess there's no harm in trying again," Terrence shrugged, hopes not very high.</p>
<p>When they got to the Jade House on the south side of town, they exited the vehicle and made their way inside. The Jade House is what the Voxis Foster Care Center was called, and had been for years. The main reason was the fact that the building had been painted jade, and was repainted every few years, depending on the center's budget. The Jade House was where the foster kids without a home stayed, and Terrence personally preferred it to actually living with a foster family.</p>
<p>The only downside was that he had to watch other older kids go through the same thing as him- he'd made a lot of good friends in the foster care center, and it was just plain painful to come back and see the same familiar faces. Was it supposed to be this rough?</p>
<p>"We'll try to get you some interviews with some families by tomorrow. Just... stick around for a bit, alright? Don't go running off." Marcus advised as they made their way inside to check themselves in.</p>
<p>"Sure." Terrence shrugged, knowing full-well he didn't plan to remain cooped up in this building all day.</p>
<p>"Do you have plans today?" Marcus asked.</p>
<p>"Not really, aside from going to Crystal Cave to visit an old turtle man."</p>
<p>"Terrence, you know I love your jokes, but I'm asking a serious question."</p>
<p>"I... wasn't joking," Terrence replied. "I met this old turtle dude in the park."</p>
<p>"Oh. You think it's a good idea to visit random monsters in remote locations?" Marcus asked, trying to choose his words carefully. "If it's who I think it is, then yeah."</p>
<p>"And who do you think it is?"</p>
<p>"Grayson. Er- I mean Gerson. He's a friend of my girlfriend's." Terrence replied.</p>
<p>"Your girlfriend is friends with elderly turtle monsters?" Marcus looked a bit surprised.</p>
<p>"She's friends with all the monsters, dude. I thought you knew she was the ambassador."</p>
<p>"I know. I'm sorry, I just don't want you to get into any trouble. Usually, it's a bad idea for a sixteen year old boy to head out to 'Crystal Cave' alone."</p>
<p>"Good thing I'm not just some sixteen year old boy." Terrence replied with a wide grin. Marcus didn't seem all that assured. "Well... just try to be back to get some sleep, alright?"</p>
<p>Terrence let out a sigh, before nodding. "Alright, yeah." He nodded. "I'll try."</p>
<p>"You're a good kid," Marcus stated, patting Terrence on the back. "Don't do anything you'll regret, okay? I need to go check up on a few other foster families, but I'll be back in time to get those interviews sorted."</p>
<p>Terrence nodded, and glanced at the clock on the wall. Gerson, he presumed that's who it was, wanted to meet in the evening. So... 5? He shrugged. 5 seemed like the best choice, and since he didn't have anything better to do until then, he figured he could call up some friends.</p>
<p>Terrence whipped out his cell phone and went into the group chat to discover that Rian and Sadie had been messaging back and forth for hours last night, talking about a variety of topics, ranging from Fuku Fire to whether it was morally wrong to eat a cheeseburger with your feet.</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Let me just say one thing. If you can eat a cheeseburger with your feet, I congratulate you. You're more flexible than I could ever hope to be.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Ay, Terrence is here. Now this is where the fun begins.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: I'm fun.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Yeah, but nobody's Terrence fun.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: I'm flattered. Really.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Don't worry, Rian, you're still taller.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Ah, the unconditional support of a girlfriend. Nothing beats it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Very funny, T. How's it going? Asgore thinks you're scared of his cooking now.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: It's going alright, and tell your dad that nobody can top his western omelettes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: I'll do that. What was it you had to run off to do?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Just something personal. But I also met Gerson on the way for the first time.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: What'd you think?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: He wants me to go to Crystal Cave with him at 5.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Sounds like an expedition to me. He's always trying to dig treasures out of there.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Who's Gerson?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: A cooky old turtle monster.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Sounds fun.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: So let me get this straight, you met some random guy in the park and agreed to meet him at some cave?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Ye.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: This is why women live longer.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Bold of you to assume I wouldn't do the exact same thing if I met a cooky old turtle monster in the park.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: Correction. This is why I'll live longer.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Anything cool I should know about Gerson, babe?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Aw, he said 'babe'!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: He trained Asgore and Undyne how to fight back in the day.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Holy sheet. I'm gonna learn how to conjure spears, aren't I?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: I wouldn't say that, but I've heard Gerson's always happy to pass his knowledge.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: I'M GONNA LEARN HOW TO CONJURE SPEARS!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: He's broken.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Wait, didn't you tell me that Asgore used to use a trident back in the day?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Oh god...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: If this guy starts conjuring tridents out of nowhere, I swear.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Yo, Terrence, if you do learn how to conjure tridents, let me know. A big fork is the one thing missing from my kitchen.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Keep in mind Gerson might just want someone to go treasure hunting with.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Did I mention he called me Lord Fallian?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Okay. Turtle guy is crazy.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: I love him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: I don't know who that is but... okay?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: He told me my SOUL is powerful. And he helped me conjure it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: Wait, I want to conjure my SOUL.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Okay. Maybe he might teach you a thing or two.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Hell yeah!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: You know, most teenage group chats consist of memes and relationship talk.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Not in here, we have crazy old turtle guys and SOUL shenanigans.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: I love it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: How did you conjure your SOUL?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: He sprayed me with water and it just appeared out of nowhere.</em>
</p>
<p>There was a long pause after, before Sadie sent a text.</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: I think he went to go spray himself with a hose.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Not very surprising.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Gerson used magic to conjure your SOUL. Some magic can manipulate elements, like how Asgore can conjure fire.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Asgore can do that?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Yep.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: The water hose didn't work.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: Yeah, same.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Sorry boys, looks like I'm the only one with water powers.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: You don't have water powers. Gerson just used his water powers ON you.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: But if he trains me, then maybe I can get water powers.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: Touché, T.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: How'd you make that little thingy above the e?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Hold your finger over the e key.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: Whoa.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Who's up for a little Grillby's or something? I got time to kill.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: Sorry, mom's grounded me.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: For WHAT?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Greg: For sneaking out with you guys last time.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sadie: Damn, that sucks. R and I can't go, either. We're getting ready for a trip to Wammy's.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: What's Wammy's?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rian: Her grandma.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Terrence: Man. Busy Sunday, then. Frisk?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frisk: I'd love to, but Asgore and I planned a day together.</em>
</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. It didn't look like he'd be hanging out with any of his friends, today. It would seem he had the day off to do as he pleased- he'd just have to make sure to get back to The Jade House tonight.</p>
<p>When he looked up, across the street, a familiar character was glaring back at Terrence. The blonde recognized him as Jason, from school. He wasn't exactly a forgettable face- eyes golden, and eerily similar to those of a feline, paired with his white-blonde hair.</p>
<p>Terrence almost went over to say something, but a bus drove by the white-haired boy, and when it was gone, so was Jason... odd. Was Terrence seeing things?</p>
<p>He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the spot where Jason had been. After being sure the boy wasn't there, he shrugged and turned away. Maybe he could visit Sans. The oldest skeleton had taken a liking to Terrence when they'd first met a couple years ago and offered to hang out any time. Not to mention it could be a good opportunity to convince Sans to repair things with Frisk, as neither apparently seemed interested in talking to each other yet.</p>
<p>Terrence pulled out his phone and called up Sans. He figured the guy wouldn't be busy- after all, he was pretty much 'on a break' 24/7. After a couple seconds of ringing, someone picked up on the other end. "Hey, Sans, how's it going?" Terrence greeted.</p>
<p>
  <em>"goin' alright. what's up, kid?"</em>
</p>
<p>"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see if you were busy."</p>
<p>
  <em>"for once, yeah. is everything alright?"</em>
</p>
<p>"Yeah, it's all good. At least, I think so. Everybody was busy today and I was just thinking we could hang."</p>
<p>
  <em>"tempting, kiddo, but..."</em>
</p>
<p>Terrence could hear another voice screech out from the other side, though it was mostly inaudible aside from the word 'idiot'.</p>
<p>
  <em>"i can't hang out today. maybe some other time, alright?"</em>
</p>
<p>"Sounds good. See you." Terrence replied with a sigh, and hung up once the line went dead. Even Sans was busy. How come everyone he knew was busy on his freest day in some time?</p>
<p>There had to be someone who was willing to kill a few hours with him. Papyrus was in prison, so that was a no-go. Undyne and Alphys probably had enough to deal with right now, and he didn't know either of them that well anyways.</p>
<p>"Mrrrr..."</p>
<p>Terrence nearly jumped when he felt something soft rub up against his leg, looking down to see a slender black cat rolling around on his feet. This part of town was a hotspot for friendly stray cats, though it was a tad unusual for one to be so forward, especially since he wasn't in the park. Maybe he'd met this one before.</p>
<p>"Hey, little guy, how's it- aaaand I'm talkin' to a cat," Terrence sighed. "Wow, what a day."</p>
<p>A cat.</p>
<p>A... cat.</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. He'd always meant to meet all sorts of other monsters, those Frisk had pointed out to him plenty of times over the years... and now was his chance, especially with it fresh on his mind.</p>
<p>Catty and Bratty's. He'd never been, never really thought about going, but he'd heard they were all sorts of fun. Maybe he could meet Aaron. Or he could hang out with Shyren. Or Napstablook. Maybe he could even meet the elusive Temmie's and their hidden village.</p>
<p>He wasn't quite sure why the cat had brought on this sudden motivation to befriend all monsters, but he wasn't complaining. In fact, it was a really good idea- a valuable way of spending his time. He could make a list, even...</p>
<p>And he'd start with the old turtle man. It was nowhere close to 5 o'clock yet, but Terrence could at the very least check the place out first.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Crystal Cave was a bit out of the way, deep into the Shrouded Forest surrounding the western side of Voxis City. There had been plenty of rumors that Crystal Cave had a hidden cavern full of rare glowing crystals, though nobody had ever discovered it as far as he was aware. By the time Terrence got there, he found a shop stand set up near the entrance, a plank nailed to the top of the cave named 'Gerson's Goods'.</p>
<p>Did... did the old man really think that he was going to get any customers? He doubted people came by Crystal Cave often enough for him to make a living- unless, hell, maybe the guy lived in Crystal Cave. He seemed cuckoo enough for it.</p>
<p>Terrence approached the mouth of the cave, eyeing the shop setup, and what was deeper within.</p>
<p>Immediately, he was granted the sight of Gerson hunched over a large rock near the cave entrance, and he was beating away at it with a hammer easily twice his size.</p>
<p>Terrence watched as Gerson brought the hammer down, and the rock splintered. He brought it down a second time, and the rock shattered, revealing- more rock. "Bèn dàn!" He yelled loudly, smashing the ground with his hammer.</p>
<p>"Having trouble?" Terrence asked, causing Gerson to wind his head back in alarm.</p>
<p>"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, youngster?" Gerson asked, before turning back to look at his fruitless excavation attempt. "It doesn't get easier," the turtle man huffed. "You're early."</p>
<p>"Yeah. I, uh... actually had a favor I wanted to ask you. You trained the monsters Undyne and Asgore, didn't you?"</p>
<p>"Ahhh, you thought you'd ask for some royal training, eh?" Gerson grinned widely, showing off what little yellow teeth he had. "Well... yeah, I-"</p>
<p>"Nope!" Gerson crossed his arms. "I don't just train anyone! You've gotta earn it!"</p>
<p>"But... what about Lord Fallian?" Terrence asked, making Gerson cackle. "He may be your past self, but you're not him." This put the boy through a loop, who blinked in surprise. "Past... self?"</p>
<p>"Didn't you know? I thought it was common knowledge." Gerson approached him, frowning. "The Great Mages are reincarnated every 100 years. They die every 100 years, and come back to rise again. The Great Mages trained me, and I trained them. Very powerful humans. Always seven."</p>
<p>Terrence blinked; that sounded a bit far fetched to him, but then again, Gerson had been alive for over two thousand years.</p>
<p>"Please- I need you to train me," Terrence pleaded, "I want to protect my friends."</p>
<p>"Eh?" Gerson raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"My girlfriend, Frisk- she got attacked by the Messiah a few days ago. I was there, but..."</p>
<p>He looked down, clenching his fists. "I couldn't do anything to help her. I was completely useless. I... I never want that to happen again. With everything going on, I want to be able to protect the people I care about. That's why... I need you to train me!"</p>
<p>"Hm... you're just as brave as I expected," Gerson noted. "I'll give you a chance to earn my special training, youngster, but it won't be easy!"</p>
<p>"Yes!" Terrence pumped his fist into the air.</p>
<p>"But you have to come back this evening. I'm a little busy right now." Gerson added, and a bit of the boy's excitement faded, though not much. "Alright, yeah. That's fine." He shrugged.</p>
<p>Gerson went back to work on the wall of rock, spouting words in different languages that Terrence could only assume were swears. The boy turned and headed back out to the mouth of the cave, wondering who he should try to befriend first before the evening...</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was a pretty small building, all things considered, standing two stories tall and decorated in all sorts of graffiti, which was mostly praise about Mettaton. The front of the store was titled in very large, bubbly letters that spelled out 'Catty and Bratty's Beauty Salon'. From what he heard, all they did was make customers look like Mettaton. Terrence felt a little weird about going into a beauty salon like this, but it was a little too late to turn back- he'd already paid for the bus ride here, after all. The moment he entered, he heard a girly squeal from across the room.</p>
<p>"Omigosh! Is that Frisk's future hubby?! He came to get a makeover for his girl! That's so <em>sweet</em>!"</p>
<p>Two monsters quickly made their way to him from behind a counter. The first was a purple cat monster with short, wavy black hair and large yellow eyes. She was rather plump opposed to her best friend, who was tall and slender, with green scales covering her body beneath her skimpy pink clothing. She had long blonde hair and pink eyes, and an elongated snout full of sharp teeth. An alligator monster. Or crocodile. Did it matter which?</p>
<p>"He's even cuter in person!" Catty the cat monster danced in place as the two girls stared at him. "Just wait until we make him even <em>cuter</em>, Catty!" Bratty replied with equal excitement.</p>
<p>"Eh? Well, I don't know about-" Terrence began, but before he could finish his sentence, Catty and Bratty had rapidly moved closer to him, and were now taking measurements of his body.</p>
<p>"Uh- what are you doing?" Terrence asked with a nervous chuckle.</p>
<p>"Silly, we have to fit you for clothes Mettaton would wear!" Bratty insisted.</p>
<p>"But I don't want-"</p>
<p>"Oh my God. Bratty." Catty turned to her partner in crime. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bratty straightened herself, eyes lighting up. "Yass, girl! Like, orange Mettaton makeover! Just look at his eyes!"</p>
<p>Both girls squealed in joy as they dragged Terrence over to a chair near a mirror, throwing a plastic blanket around him.</p>
<p>"Wait, wait, I don't-" Terrence began, but Catty and Bratty were talking over him, discussing all the ways they could make him more fashionable. Bratty was even holding a can of orange spray paint- which she seemed to have plucked from out of nowhere.</p>
<p>"SO hyped to get him Mettafied!" Catty purred in delight as Bratty began to gel his hair, spiking it to the side while Catty began to quickly apply make-up on him.</p>
<p>Terrence was left without any room to argue, or else risk getting a mouthful of blush. The two moved in unison, weaving about him and through each other's arms with practiced skill.</p>
<p>"Aaand... boom! Makeup's done!" Catty announced after about ten torturous minutes of applying it to Terrence's face. Bratty held up a mirror so he could check it out- Terrence had to keep himself from whimpering. He looked eerily similar to Mettaton; a human version of him, of course.</p>
<p>"Oh. Wow, uh... I..."</p>
<p>"Hold your horses and contain your excitement, because like, we're not done!" Catty grinned widely. "Not... done?" Terrence asked, voice laced with fear as Bratty began to shake the orange spray paint. "Like, not at all." She winked.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a shiny silver sleeve that looked a lot like Mettaton's arm was shoved over Terrence's arm by Catty, and almost immediately, a glossy orange color began to appear on it, courtesy of Bratty. Terrence was astonished by how fast they worked- but he was more concerned about what they planned to charge him.</p>
<p>He didn't even realize they'd stood him up and torn off the plastic blanket until nearly two minutes after, the two monsters working quickly all while they chatted away, mostly about Mettaton, guys, Mettaton, their rent, and Mettaton, just to name a few. Finally, they both stopped, taking a step back as Terrence stood rigid, his entire body covered in fake plastic Mettaton bits. "Ohmygod, Catty, he looks like he could be Mettaton's sidekick!"</p>
<p>"Soooo cute." Catty replied, and the two both started laughing as Terrence looked into the mirror. As much as he didn't like it, he had to admit, he looked like Mettaton after an orange paint job. Catty and Bratty were definitely skilled. "We're like, so glad you came in." Catty told Terrence. "Yeah, like, nobody's been coming by for a few days ever since those lies about Mettaton started spreading on the news."</p>
<p>"Seriously lame stuff." Catty folded her arms, nodding as Bratty nodded in agreement with her.</p>
<p>"I thought Mettaton was really popular, though," Terrence frowned, surprised that the one incident had wrecked Catty and Bratty's business. Other celebrities got away with much worse things all the time... Human celebrities. Terrence wrinkled his nose- there wasn't even much evidence on Mettaton and Papyrus, was there?</p>
<p>"Well... I have to admit, the sleeves are a little glossy for me, but I sure do look the part," Terrence shrugged.</p>
<p>"Silly, once you go gloss, you can never go back!" Catty laughed. "Like, EVER!" Bratty added in a sing-song voice and the two girls broke out into a fit of giggles, before Terrence pursed his lips. "Um... how much do I owe...?"</p>
<p>"Oh, for you it's like, free." Catty replied. "Yeah, Frisk's hubby gets a free pass. But like, don't forget to spread the word! Tell all your little friends and stuff, we need business!" Bratty exclaimed.</p>
<p>"Oh- well, sure, I'll do that. But you guys do know that Frisk and I are just dating, right?"</p>
<p>"I dunno~ the way she talked about you last time she was here, I think it's time you went ring shopping," Bratty teased, Catty giggling like an amused toddler.</p>
<p>Terrence felt the blood rush to his face, and he doubted even all this makeup could cover the intensity of his blush. "O-oh, I don't- that's not- I'm- she- we-" He stumbled over his words for a good minute, giving the two monsters even more to giggle at before they were finally waving bye to him as he walked outside, feeling a little uncomfortable in all the parts he was wearing over his clothes. Luckily the day wasn't exactly warm, so he wasn't going to start baking up inside.</p>
<p>He glanced at his beaten phone to see it wasn't even the afternoon yet, and there were no new texts from anybody. He let out a sigh as he tucked the phone away. Free time could really suck sometimes. Though, if he was being honest... he did have a little fun with Catty and Bratty. Not that he'd admit it out loud. As he walked around, he noticed that he was getting a lot of looks from people. Some of them were bad, but some were positive, even calling out things like 'looking good!' and 'slow down!' and 'my man!'.</p>
<p>Heck, a group of girls even waved at him and called out compliments on his new style- he didn't approach them, though. Had to remain loyal to Frisk, after all. Not that he wouldn't have had he approached them. Now he was making excuses for himself.</p>
<p>Now... where to next? Maybe he could meet that Napstablook fellow?</p>
<p>He'd heard plenty about Napstablook before. He was a rising DJ with some major doomer vibes to him. Apparently he'd spend almost all of his free time laying around in random places thinking about how expansive the universe is and how insignificant everything else is until somebody either stepped on him or he was told to move. Apparently he and Mettaton were cousins or something of the sort.</p>
<p>After getting Napstablook's address from Frisk, Terrence had walked over to the ghostly fellow's house from Catty and Bratty's salon- as much as he enjoyed the positive attention, he'd also gotten a total of three rocks thrown at him by people who probably weren't too supportive of the jailed celebrity. He just hoped Napstablook would appreciate it, all things considered.</p>
<p>The house he came upon was strangely a little out of the way, which wasn't what he expected for a celebrity figure like Napstablook, even if he opted to mostly remain anonymous. The home was simple, but seemed very old. It had vines growing around it from all angles, and the yard was very overgrown. Then there were the trees obscuring the house, making him nearly miss it.</p>
<p>Terrence figured that Napstablook must really value his privacy- but a short visit wouldn't hurt, right? After all, he wanted to make friends with monsters. He wanted- no, he had to do this. As he approached the porch, out of the corner of his eye, Terrence saw a figure, but when he turned to look at them...</p>
<p>They were gone. Weird. Maybe he really was losing it.</p>
<p>"Talking to cats... seeing people… becoming Mettaton..." he mumbled, walking up to the front door.</p>
<p>He knocked a few times. Initially, there was no response, before a voice drifted through the window nearby, which appeared cracked but intact. "come in..."</p>
<p>Terrence slowly pushed open the door, and was surprised at the sight he was greeted. The interior of the house was way different than what he'd expected. Napstablook had an entire computer system set up, alongside a large flat screen television nearby. A vast assortment of cords hung from the ceiling, running all about, attaching to monitors and devices and surround sound speakers. Comfy bean bag chairs were scattered about, and there was a box of various headphones next to the computer desk. On the center of the floor is where Napstablook the ghost was, lying face-up, staring at the ceiling, a pair of headphones on his head. "oh. hey..." He looked over at Terrence.</p>
<p>"Hey there. Napstablook, right?"</p>
<p>"yeah... um... you look kind of familiar... but i don't think we've met..."</p>
<p>"Did Frisk tell you about me?"</p>
<p>"oh... i think so... but you weren't wearing that in the picture..."</p>
<p>"Oh- yeah, well, I stopped by a salon on the way, and they insisted on this look," Terrence chuckled.</p>
<p>"you look like mettaton... cool..." Napstablook said, and Terrence could swear for a second that he could see the faintest hint of a smile.</p>
<p>"sorry... i don't host people often... i'll go get refreshments..."</p>
<p>"Oh, that's okay, you don't have to." Terrence replied, but the ghost had already drifted upward, turned himself right side up and hovered into a neighboring room.</p>
<p>"do you like lemonade... or water...?"</p>
<p>"Um... water's fine," Terrence replied. Blooky drifted down, 'holding' a glass of water in his hand, but it looked oddly spectral to Terrence.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Terrence smiled, accepting it- but it phased through his hand, hitting the ground with a spooky thunk.</p>
<p>They both stared at it for a moment, before it seemed to just fade, and Napstablook sighed. "oh... sorry... i don't usually have... corporeal guests..." He drifted back into what was presumably the kitchen, and after a few moments, he came back. "sorry... all i have is... ghost stuff..."</p>
<p>"That's okay." Terrence replied with a shrug, and looked about. "This is a really cool place you got."</p>
<p>"yeah... i think so too..."</p>
<p>"Do you make all your music right here?" Terrence asked, glancing at the ghost's setup.</p>
<p>"actually, yeah... do you wanna hear the beat i've been working on...? it doesn't have any words or anything since mettaton isn't around... i hope that's ok..."</p>
<p>"I'd love to hear it!" Terrence grinned widely, folding his arms, which made a crinkly metallic sound.</p>
<p>"okay... just a moment..." Napstablook said, drifting over to his computer.</p>
<p>He didn't seem to do anything, but a moment later, a tune started to play. It was slow, somber, and pretty techno sounding. It was definitely nothing Terrence had heard before, and was actually pretty catchy.</p>
<p>Once it finished, Terrence turned to Blooky. "That was really good." He admitted, and another faint smile hinted on the ghost's face, who drifted backward a little. "thanks... it's fun to make, you know...?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. I'm sure I'd love making music if I had the patience for it," Terrence nodded in understanding.</p>
<p>"huh... well, maybe i could teach you... you know, if you want... i don't know if i could be a good teacher, though..."</p>
<p>"You'll never know unless you try," Terrence offered.</p>
<p>"yeah... wanna hear another song...?"</p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p>With that, another tune began to play. This one had a different tone to it. Almost ambient, with an overtone of mystery, but maintained the techno feel. Napstablook's music was strangely intoxicating, and he could feel himself actively daydreaming to the music, but he returned to reality once the music stopped.</p>
<p>"I really liked it," Terrence admitted, to which Napstablook turned his gaze over to the orange-eyed boy. "usually, after listening to music... i like to lay down on the ground and feel like garbage... do you want to join me...?"</p>
<p>Terrence blinked. "Oh. Uh..." He paused. He didn't really want to feel like garbage in any capacity, but he was hanging out with Napstablook at the moment. May as well. "Sure. Why not." He shrugged, and Napstablook hovered back down to the ground, and stared up at the ceiling. Terrence got into a sitting position, feeling a little awkward, before he too laid down.</p>
<p>At first, Terrence didn't feel anything other than the slight discomfort of laying down while wearing all his Mettaton-like clothing... he wondered if he should say something, the silence feeling far too awkward for him.</p>
<p>...but then, he got a weird feeling- as if he were one with the room, and everything around him started to darken...</p>
<p>It was about thirty minutes later when Terrence was waving bye to Napstablook, who only watched him leave, lacking any arms to wave back. That had definitely been an... interesting experience. Nothing like what he'd expected, but to be honest, he didn't know what he expected.</p>
<p>Still dressed as Mettaton, Terrence looked down at his phone to see it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.</p>
<p>"Sheesh, four more hours to kill, huh?" Terrence frowned, before thinking long and hard about other monsters Frisk had mentioned; he'd simply visit the first person whose name came to mind...</p>
<p>'<em>Burgerpants.'</em></p>
<p>Who the hell was named Burgerpants? The name sounded familiar, and he opened his phone to message Frisk about it, before stopping. "Oh... right..." He suddenly felt bad. Burgerpants had been one of the earliest Messiah victims. Been in the wrong place at the wrong time or something like that. He bit his lip, before deciding to stop thinking about that particular topic and thought about something else.</p>
<p>Now... who else was there? Frisk had talked about a lot of monsters before, yet recalling names was a bit of a struggle. Terrence didn't have the greatest memory when it came to that...</p>
<p>The next name that came to mind was 'Temmie.'</p>
<p>Temmie...</p>
<p>Temmie...</p>
<p>Didn't they have some sort of hidden village they'd built in Voxis?</p>
<p>Making up his mind, he pulled out his phone to message Frisk.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Terrence found himself wandering into a train tunnel, triple checking the directions Frisk had given him. She'd made it clear he needed to enter the tunnel and find a big hole in the wall. Apparently, it led to 'Temmie VIllage'.</p>
<p>Frankly, he figured it was a little bit dangerous to build a village in a train tunnel, but who was he to judge? He hadn't heard of any Temmie-related train deaths yet, so they must have been doing something right. He just wanted to hurry up, a bit paranoid about being turned into a pile of Mettaton look-a-like goop.</p>
<p>The tunnel ahead was dark, and it bent at an angle, meaning all he could see was darkness ahead of him. He ran his hand along the wall, which was strangely damp, before he made the bend, and he could see the end of the tunnel in sight. Terrence pushed on, wondering why he was so dedicated to find this hidden village, before his hand was suddenly no longer pressing against anything, and he lost his balance, falling into a dark hole, landing on his side in a patch of dirt.</p>
<p>"Ow..." Terrence mumbled, pulling out his phone to use as a flashlight, something he felt stupid for not using sooner. He seemed to have stumbled across another tunnel, but it was more like a man made hole in the wall...</p>
<p>Or, perhaps in this case, a monster made hole in the wall. Brushing dirt off of his Mettaton outfit, Terrence stood up and began his trek toward the village.</p>
<p>At least, he hoped that was where he was headed.</p>
<p>The tunnel went on for quite a bit, and he was beginning to consider turning back, before he heard a collective shout echoing up ahead. That must be the Temmies. He jogged forward, picking up the pace, and before he knew it he had stumbled into a cavern. The village he'd entered, however, was in a state of unrest as a small white dog ran in circles through the tiny town square, several small cat-like monsters chasing after him, all yelling various things in what almost sounded like baby-talk while the dog barked happily back at them, leading them round and round.</p>
<p>"What... the... he-"</p>
<p>"WeLcom! to... tEM villAge!" a baby-ish voice rang through Terrence's ears, and he turned to look at another cat-like creature, standing on top of a box labelled 'tEM!'</p>
<p>"five dollar pleeeez!1!"</p>
<p>"Um... okay?" Terrence raised an eyebrow, handing over a five dollar bill, which the Temmie accepted with her mouth, hopping off the box to go and stash her cash away- or maybe eat it.</p>
<p>Either way, it felt like a bit of a waste. Terrence turned back to stare at the scene unfolding before him as the little white dog began to run through the houses around, the Tems following him throughout each one, destroying each house in the process. The damage didn't seem too bad, however, as every single house appeared to be made of cardboard.</p>
<p>Terrence was just beginning to wonder where the light source in this cave was coming from when the little dog ran between his legs, darting out of the cave behind him, yipping as he went- and the Temmies all barreled into the boy, knocking him onto his rear.</p>
<p>Terrence tried to get up, but the Temmies were absolutely swarming him. They seemed to have given up on catching the dog, and they now seemed much more interested in jumping on him. Oh well- at least they weren't biting, aside from that little bugger near his leg. All he could hear was a torrent of 'tEM!,' and one monotone voice saying 'Bob.'</p>
<p>One particular Temmie stuck her face in his, and he watched as her face seemingly moved itself to the left, then right, without moving her head at all. "HooMAN!" She yelled, and the chanting grew in intensity, before they all ran off him and returned to the village square, seemingly forgetting about him.</p>
<p>"Um..." Terrence slowly stood up, looking around the 'village,' which was pretty much just a room about the size of a convenience store, filled with cardboard boxes and a few other luxuries, such as a 'shop,' which seemed to sell a questionable-looking cereal.</p>
<p>Terrence approached the village square, a stray Temmie clinging to his leg.</p>
<p>"tEM luVs hOoMaN!" The Temmie stated, hugging his leg tighter as he made his way to the village square, where the other Temmies were talking rapidly to each other about the exciting battle for their homeland. Apparently they were used to raids from the dreaded 'Toby Dog'. For some reason, he didn't think that was the right name for the little pup that had just been here.</p>
<p>"We neEdS tO REBULD!" One Temmie stated, slapping her paw down on a fallen box.</p>
<p>Terrence frowned; rebuilding didn't seem like too hard a task, considering these 'Temmies' were living in a cluster of boxes. Then again, it was probably harder for them than it would be for him, considering they were about the size of an average cat.</p>
<p>He knelt down to one of the ruined 'houses,' all the Tems in the land watching in awe as he picked it up in one powerful arm, before effortlessly unflattening it and placing it back in its original spot.</p>
<p>It was as though an explosion had gone off. The Tems went insane at the sight of his good deed, rolling around on the floor or jumping around the cave, all screaming incoherently. Terrence, shocked, took a step back from the house, unsure if he'd upset them somehow.</p>
<p>It wasn't until the Tem on his leg spoke through the chaos and confusion. "HooMaN hELp MOAR!" She yelled cheerfully.</p>
<p>The Temmies began throwing 'tem flakes' at him, which he figured was an offering or something so he'd fix more of their 'houses.' Terrence moved over to the adjacent box, which was also flattened- without much effort, he brought it back to its cubic glory, putting it back down, earning more squeals of joy.</p>
<p>"aGaiN!" The Tems began chanting, and he made a circle around the village, picking up boxes and restoring their shape before setting them down. By the time he set the last box down, the Temmies were practically worshipping him. One was even bowing down as though she was praying.</p>
<p>"Good job." One Temmie told him in a deep, monotone voice.</p>
<p>"Ehehe... guys, it's really no big-"</p>
<p>"hOomAN! thRONE!1!" one Temmie demanded, bounding over to the back of the room, hopping around what looked like a rusty stool with a red velvet pillow taped onto it. The other Temmies seemed to be in agreement with this, leaping around wildly, forming a wave of sheer tEM.</p>
<p>An undisclosed amount of time passed before Terrence found himself blinking in the sunlight of the outside world. His Mettaton makeup was a mess, he was missing bits of the plastic costume, and he had a wreath of flowers showered in tem flakes on his head. He also had plenty of the flakes in his hair, as well.</p>
<p>Apparently he was King of Temmie Village now.</p>
<p>"Geez... how long was I in there?" Terrence wondered aloud, checking his phone. "4:45?!" he sputtered in shock- he'd spent over three hours down there. And he looked ridiculous, too. What was Gerson gonna say when Terrence showed up in 80% of a Mettaton costume, with ruined makeup, and cereal in his hair?</p>
<hr/>
<p>"You look like a Hobber Snuff who just tangled with a Greater Ebow." Gerson laughed at the sight of Terrence as he came to a stop at the cave, panting. He didn't immediately respond, having no idea what Gerson was talking about, but also to check his phone to see that he was seven minutes late. Drat. "Sorry, Gerson..." Terrence replied, using his sleeve to remove some of the makeup on his face. "I've had an... interesting day."</p>
<p>"I can tell," Gerson continued to chuckle, clearly amused by Terrence's disastrous appearance, wiping a tear from his eye. "Hey, cut me some slack. You're talkin' to royalty, now, y'know," Terrence scoffed jokingly, turning his nose upwards.</p>
<p>"Eh? You the king of bad fashion choices or something?" Gerson retorted.</p>
<p>"No I-" Terrence stopped, and couldn't help but grin as Gerson tossed him a towel. "Get yourself cleaned up, Mettaton wannabe." Gerson told him, pulling out his staff. "I've got somethin' I wanna show you."</p>
<p>"Oh really? Did you find more rock walls behind the rock walls?" Terrence's grin widened as he used the towel to remove the remaining makeup Catty and Bratty had put on him.</p>
<p>Gerson whistled. "You've got a quick wit, boy. You're a lot like me in that way."</p>
<p>"Think I'll get to conjure water with my hands, then?" Terrence asked eagerly, slipping out of the bits of Mettaton garbs about him, before shaking tem flakes out of his hair. Gerson cackled at that. "You wish! Magic is different for every human and monster. No magic is ever the same- in the rare exception of the Great Mages."</p>
<p>"Whaaaat? But what about my special once-in-a-century SOUL?" Terrence frowned.</p>
<p>"That doesn't mean you're gonna be able to master any kind of magic you want!" Gerson continued to laugh. "It takes lots of practice to even get the basics down."</p>
<p>Terrence pouted, having been certain he'd be splashing Greg with conjured water by next week. "Come on." Gerson gestured for Terrence to follow, and the two made their way into Crystal Cave. Terrence pulled out his phone to turn on the flashlight, but his hand was whacked by Gerson's staff. "Rely on your eyes, boy." Gerson snapped, the darkness consuming him as he continued inside.</p>
<p>"Sheesh, alright- it's just so dark," Terrence replied, to which Gerson shook his head.</p>
<p>"You'll adjust, toughen up," the turtle monster insisted as they continued to progress. It wasn't until Terrence had nearly tripped twice that he could actually start to make out what was three feet in front of him.</p>
<p>Even still, they traveled deeper, and he continued to trip and bump his head against rocks while he followed Gerson. Finally, they stopped, Terrence bumping into the old turtle. Gerson turned to him. "Conjure your SOUL." He ordered.</p>
<p>"Um... I still don't know how. You had to spray me last time, remember?"</p>
<p>"C'mon, boy. If you don't do it yourself, you'll never learn."</p>
<p>"But... how? Come on, there has to be some trick."</p>
<p>"No tricks. You just let your mind reach into the inner depths of your being, and... presto!"</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. He didn't really wander into his inner being or whatever that often...</p>
<p>He closed his eyes, standing in place, trying to summon his SOUL. After several minutes, he began to feel pretty ridiculous. "This isn't working." He told Gerson, who cackled in reply. "Because you're not trying hard enough! Think about the attack on Frisk. Think about what you would have done could you have been useful, and not just a sack of meat for her to protect."</p>
<p>"Well, that's a bit harsh-"</p>
<p>"Focus!"</p>
<p>"Okay, okay!"</p>
<p>Terrence closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, in and out... he took Gerson's advice, thinking about what had gone down. God, he still felt awful about it. Frisk could have been seriously hurt, or way worse. The Messiah was capable of nearly killing Undyne, after all.</p>
<p>He wanted to protect everyone. Not just Frisk- but mostly Frisk.</p>
<p>He opened his eyes- and to his surprise, an orange heart illuminated the shadows.</p>
<p>Gerson smiled warmly at him, the first time it didn't seem like a partially insane look. "You've passed your first test." Gerson told him. "Conjuring your SOUL. Now keep following me, and keep your SOUL out. It gets a lot darker in these next parts."</p>
<p>"Um, Gerson, sir? How much deeper does it go?"</p>
<p>"You'll see," the monster snickered, which didn't reassure Terrence that much, but he continued to follow anyway. The perk of having his SOUL present was the pleasant amount of light it provided- Terrence no longer stumbled or smacked his head on stalactites.</p>
<p>The air around them became stale and cold, and after several minutes, Terrence found himself beginning to shiver. That was when he heard rushing water. It was faint, but growing louder as they continued on. After about ten more minutes, they came to an opening in the tunnel to find a drop off, rushing water down below, and a distant ledge at least twenty feet away from them. "This is your second test." Gerson stated. "Reach the other side without getting wet."</p>
<p>"Um... Gerson, sir, I'm not much of a builder..."</p>
<p>Gerson smacked Terrence on the back. "Use your head, boy!"</p>
<p>Terrence blinked- of course, he was supposed to use his SOUL... but how? He didn't know anything about how to use it. He'd barely even been able to summon it.</p>
<p>...but complaining was pointless. He didn't plan on complaining about being too weak to protect Frisk any longer- so like hell would he complain about this, either.</p>
<p>He just needed to focus on his ambition... right?</p>
<p>He looked around him, thinking maybe he needed to use his surroundings. Maybe he could still technically get to the bridge. Maybe there was some kind of pillar he could knock down or... No. No luck on the pillars. This cave seemed to be entirely natural.</p>
<p>Gerson smacked his lips as he stared down at the water below. Terrence looked across the gap, wondering how he could make that jump. Maybe his SOUL could... boost him? He'd seen instances where Frisk had used her SOUL to do special things, like creating tools or items, or shield herself. Did his work similarly? Could he make a… trampoline?</p>
<p>"Gerson..." He turned to Gerson, who looked over at him in return. "What kind of SOUL do I have?"</p>
<p>"The SOUL of Bravery," Gerson explained. "In many cases, it's considered the most powerful SOUL, offensively. But it also means you're reckless; usually, people with the SOUL of Bravery will lose a fight because they think with their fists."</p>
<p>"Good to know," Terrence nodded, taking a deep breath. He'd need to conjure something... offense-based, then?</p>
<p>...he needed to think with his head...</p>
<p>...or...</p>
<p>...his fists?</p>
<p>Terrence looked over at his SOUL, and nearly jumped when he saw that a pair of orange fists had manifested next to the heart-shaped manifestation.</p>
<p>Gerson stared at it, before nodding. "You've summoned your weapons. One of them, at least. What will you do with them?"</p>
<p>Terrence thought about that. How in the world could he use the fists to get to the other side? Perhaps... using them to pick himself up? No, that seemed too stupid. No way was that the answer. Maybe he could use them to... strike the ground? Propel himself forward?</p>
<p>"I have an idea!" Terrence announced. He attempted to make the hands move over to him- which they did, but it took a few seconds. He wouldn't be able to afford that kind of delay in a real battle. Hopefully it would get easier with time...</p>
<p>"Go on," Gerson tilted his head with interest. Suddenly, Terrence grabbed the SOUL hands, and jammed them over his own like gloves. He reached into the rock walls- and just as he'd expected, he was able to plunge his fingers inside like the stone was made of warm butter. The SOUL magic was much stronger than his bare hands.</p>
<p>"Not a bad idea, in theory," Gerson smiled. "But do you have the upper body strength to make the entire climb?"</p>
<p>"Oh..." Terrence frowned, glancing at Gerson, before looking up. The wall extended a fair bit before meeting with the other side that he wanted to get to. "Guess we'll see." He replied, and started to climb.</p>
<p>It was a lot tougher than he'd expected, and he wasn't even three feet off the ground before he started sweating. The entire time, he kept thinking 'do it for Frisk's sake. Do it for monsterkind. It'll get easier with time. Don't give up.'</p>
<p>What he lacked in natural ability, Terrence made up for with passion and vigor. He began to climb a bit quicker, but the strain was immense, and his breathing grew ragged.</p>
<p>"Don't... look... down..."</p>
<p>He looked down.</p>
<p>His eyes widened as he saw how high up he'd gotten- but the ceiling was so close. Was this really the best choice he could have made?</p>
<p>He reached the top, and dislodged a hand to jab it into the next wall to begin his descent. It wasn't until he started climbing down that he realized it wasn't any easier than climbing up. In fact, it was a lot harder.</p>
<p>"Ooooh boy..." Terrence huffed, not wanting to fall forty feet to his death- but climbing back down would be a lot more awkward than pressing forward now, and he was bound to slip up. That being said, he was already exhausted, practically hanging from the ceiling... if only he'd conjured some Spider-Dude webs, too.</p>
<p>Sweating, he pressed on...</p>
<p>"That's it... you're almost there..." Gerson's voice sounded close, and he chanced a look down to find himself only a couple feet above the ledge. With a sigh of relief, he detached himself from the wall and landed heavily on the stone ground- a little too close to the edge. The stone was slick, and he felt himself slip on it, falling backward. Gerson reached forward, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him to safety.</p>
<p>"Woo..." Terrence groaned, bending over and resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "Thanks..."</p>
<p>"You could have just leaped across like me." Gerson stated. "You don't just conjure gloves, you know."</p>
<p>"Thanks for the advice, I'll make sure to keep that in mind next time I cross a bridgeless gap," Terrence said, breathing in and out heavily, wiping sweat from his forehead.</p>
<p>"You say that like you won't have to make your way back across again," Gerson snickered.</p>
<p>Terrence blinked.</p>
<p>"Crud."</p>
<p>They continued on past the creek, and soon enough, the sound of running water faded, replaced by strange radiant clicking sounds. Almost like quick-noted chimes. "Hear that? We're close." Gerson informed his companion as they pushed on, and eventually, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern.</p>
<p>"Whoa..." Terrence gaped about, staring at the cavernous room they'd entered. The ceiling was full of crystals that were glowing deep blues, purples, and pinks, as well as reflecting the orange of his SOUL. "<em>This</em> is Crystal Cave."</p>
<p>"Mhm." Gerson nodded, satisfied at his reaction. "This is where we'll begin your real training."</p>
<p>"You mean... that wasn't even the start of my training, back there?" Terrence swallowed, looking around the room at the flawless crystals. He could make out his reflection in each one if he focused hard enough.</p>
<p>"I told you it would be hard," Gerson shook his head. "Don't tell me you're ready to call it quits?"</p>
<p>"Of course not! I'm ready! I can start training right now, even!" Terrence suggested.</p>
<p>"Well why do you think we're down here, eh?" Gerson cackled, before sitting on the ground, folding his legs together, and setting his clawed hands in his lap. Terrence stood there for a moment, watching him, before frowning. "Uh... what are you doing?"</p>
<p>"The same thing you should be doing." Gerson replied. "Your SOUL may style on aggression and offensiveness, but to truly master your power, you must first learn to meditate. To let go of all your emotions. They clog your mind and SOUL with unnecessary things, ultimately making you weaker. With a clear mind, you can use your abilities at their maximum potential."</p>
<p>"Y'know, a PE teacher once told me the same thing; just a lot dumber, and without the SOUL stuff," Terrence replied as he mimicked Gerson, sitting criss-cross and letting his arms relax, hands in his lap. It felt nice, after that ludicrously strained climb across the ceiling of the cavern.</p>
<p>He took a deep breath, eyes closed, trying his best to get into the meditation mindset.</p>
<p>However, things kept swirling through his mind. He found himself continually thinking back to his friends, but mostly Frisk, and what they were up to. Every time he emptied his mind, more thoughts would replace those he cleared. After some amount of time, he let out an annoyed sigh. "I can't meditate." He stated. Gerson simply cackled in response.</p>
<p>Terrence decided to continue trying, but he met the same results. Some time later, he let out another annoyed sigh, louder this time. "It's not working."</p>
<p>"Do you hear that?" Gerson asked. Terrence paused, listening, but all he heard was the strange chiming. "Just that... weird sound."</p>
<p>"That's the crystals." Gerson stated, his eyes still closed as he sat in his meditative position. "Do you feel that?"</p>
<p>Terrence paused once again, before shrugging. "What am I supposed to be feeling?"</p>
<p>"A gentle breeze flowing against you. In the center of the ceiling is a natural hole that leads right to the surface. That chiming is the crystals rubbing against each other from the wind." Terrence looked up again, for the first time noticing that the crystals seemed to be softly swaying. "I thought crystals were firm? Like... attached."</p>
<p>"These crystals are different." Gerson told him. "They are Singing Crystals. They hang loosely from the ceiling, rubbing against each other to create a beautiful song. It's a wonder of this world, as these crystals have never been found anywhere else." He opened his eyes to look at Terrence. "When meditating, clear your mind. Take in your surroundings. Listen to the song. Feel the breeze. Let go of your worries. Become the cave."</p>
<p>The more Terrence thought about Gerson's words, the more he realized that he'd already meditated earlier today. But this time, he wasn't going to lay down on the ground and feel like garbage. Instead, he was going to sit on the ground and feel like... the cave. He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, forcing himself to repeat the same thought on loop- listen to the song. Listen to the song.</p>
<p>"Wrong," Gerson cackled. "You're listening to my words, and using them to try and fuel your thoughts, rather than your actions."</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. Not thinking was easier said than done; but it was getting a little easier. The more he listened, the nicer the melody of the crystals sounded...</p>
<p>And when he opened his eyes once again, Gerson was gone, as was the cave, but the music still whispered through his body. Terrence felt like he was floating on a cloud, without a care in the world regarding his surroundings. He blinked- and he was back.</p>
<p>Well... at least he'd achieved inner peace for a fraction of a second. It was a start.</p>
<p>They stayed like this for quite a while. Terrence didn't bother keeping track of time as he and Gerson cleared their minds and relaxed their bodies. Finally, however, Gerson stood up. "Alright. You've passed your third test." He informed the boy. "You have no idea how long it took Undyne to get that down."</p>
<p>"How long, exactly?" Terrence asked. "Two years!" Gerson cackled loudly.</p>
<p>"Y-You're being serious?" Terrence's eyes lit up. He'd passed a test in a couple of minutes- or maybe it had been a few hours- that Undyne had taken years to complete?</p>
<p>"You're a quick learner," Gerson admitted. "Just don't tell Undyne."</p>
<p>"Of course I won't. I'm not looking to lose a head," Terrence chuckled.</p>
<p>Gerson then led Terrence to a corner of the room, where he noticed a pickax sat on the ground. "Start mining." Gerson ordered. Terrence froze, blinking in confusion. He was about to question what mining would have to do with his training, but then remembered each of the other tests he'd passed. Instead of questioning why he had to mine, he asked something else. "What will I be learning while I mine?"</p>
<p>"Movement." Gerson answered, seeming impressed with his response. "Movement, weight, and balance. They're all very important, especially in combat."</p>
<p>"Are you sure you aren't just using me to excavate a few free crystals for you?" Terrence joked, raising an eyebrow. Gerson snorted. "Boy, if I really wanted these crystals, I would have mined this cave out centuries ago. You'll be striking the stone wall, instead. After all, it would be a shame if we ruined their song."</p>
<p>With a nod, Terrence got to work, bringing the pickax over his shoulder, and bringing it down on a bit of stone. The stone was tougher than he'd been expecting, and the pickax pretty much just bounced off of it. After a few more tries with the same results, he paused, wiping a bead of sweat on his forehead. "Instead of rising the pick to your shoulder, swing it around your side to pick up momentum, taking less energy to swing, and giving you more weight and power with your strike." Gerson advised. "And lift with your arms, not your back. I haven't lived this long without a back problem for no reason. Spread your legs, too, eh?"</p>
<p>Terrence took Gerson's advice, memorizing the words and obeying them with obedience. He would do whatever it took; and besides, even though Terrence hadn't known him long, he trusted Gerson. He spread his legs apart a bit more, straightening his posture and readjusting his grip, bringing the pickax to the side and swinging hard. The pickaxe didn't come close to plunging into the rock, but a few tiny pebbles crumbled off of the wall.</p>
<p>"There you go. Good!" Gerson grinned toothily as Terrence started moving in a fluid motion, swinging the pickax around to rise, then using its weight and his own strength to bring it down on the stone. Within a dozen or so swings, he'd cracked open a portion of the rock, and the slab of stone tumbled down to the cave floor. Gerson nodded in approval. "Keep going." He ordered.</p>
<p>Terrence continued his assault on the rock, which seemed to get softer as he continued digging- that, or he was getting better at using the pickaxe. He chose to believe the latter to boost his ego...</p>
<p>"So, usually, how many tests does your average student pass on their first day?"</p>
<p>"Don't be silly," Gerson grinned. "I don't have any average students."</p>
<p>"Okay... how many tests do your students normally pass on their first day?" Terrence asked. "It varies." Gerson shrugged. "Undyne completed seventy seven tests in a single day once, and on other days failed to complete a single one. Same with Asgore. And those I trained before them. As well as I, when I was being trained."</p>
<p>"Seventy seven, you say?" Terrence huffed, wiping sweat from his brow.</p>
<p>"May I ask why you wanted to know?" Gerson watched as Terrence struck the rock again, causing a sheet of it to fall to the ground and crumble.</p>
<p>"Because whatever the record is, I want to break it," Terrence replied. "I've gotta work as hard as I can, there's no room for me to mess up."</p>
<p>"You've got the spirit," Gerson nodded. "But you don't want to bite off more than you can chew. As intense as my training becomes, working yourself to the bone only makes you weaker. You have to know when you reach your limit."</p>
<p>"How will I know when I reach my limit?" Terrence asked, swinging away at the rock again. After a few more swings, the old turtle responded. "Oh, you'll know." He chuckled. "Alright, keep that up while I do some meditating." With that, Gerson dropped to the ground, folding his legs and placing his hands on his lap, closing his eyes.</p>
<p>And so, Terrence continued to swing, again, and again, and again... and again. His arms were beginning to get tired, but it was nothing compared to when he'd been hanging from the ceiling an hour or two prior. So, at least he knew that he hadn't reached his limit just yet. He wondered how Gerson planned to meditate with all the noise.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It must have been an hour before Gerson got to his feet. "You can stop." He said, and Terrence let out a sigh of relief, his clothes drenched in sweat. He set down the pickax, and turned to Gerson. "What now?" He asked.</p>
<p>"One more lesson." Gerson told him. "It's getting late and you'll need rest. Are you prepared for some combat training?"</p>
<p>"Combat training? You mean... you're gonna fight me?" Terrence raised an eyebrow. Gerson was clearly a good trainer and all, but with his age... and the fact that he was a turtle... would he really be able to put up much of a fight?</p>
<p>"Something like that," Gerson grinned. "You'll be trying to land a hit on me- just one. If you're training for combat, you won't get far if you don't practice combat, yes?"</p>
<p>"I guess... just one hit?"</p>
<p>"Just one." Gerson nodded. Terrence shook his arm out, biting his cheek. He'd just go in with a real light hit, no need to get rough. So he walked up to Gerson, who was staring up at him with a toothy grin, and he jabbed his fist forward, aimed at Gerson's middle.</p>
<p>Quicker than the blink of an eye, he felt Gerson's staff slap his fist aside, throwing him off balance, causing him to stumble past the old turtle, tripping over his feet.</p>
<p>"That the best you can do?" Gerson asked.</p>
<p>Okay... so, Gerson was a little quicker than he'd expected. Terrence would just have to try to make his next attack faster; how hard could it possibly be to land one single strike on a two-thousand year old man?</p>
<p>The blonde was still pretty sore from the hours of training he'd endured, so he was running a bit low on energy, but managed to not fall flat on his face.</p>
<p>Terrence turned back toward Gerson once he regained his balance, this time moving toward him a little quicker. He went to strike the turtle's middle again, but was met with a similar result- the staff was jabbed into his gut, making him nearly double over. Just as he was about to try once more to hit Gerson, a blast of water sent him stumbling backwards.</p>
<p>"Think you're up for this challenge?" Gerson asked. Terrence inwardly groaned. He had no idea why he'd thought this would be any easier than the other tasks he'd gone through today. Without replying, he moved forward, attempting to strike Gerson's middle again- only for the old turtle to grab his arm, step to the side, and throw him several feet away, skidding to a halt on the stone floor.</p>
<p>Scratch a little quicker, this old dude was fast. "Tell me what you're doing wrong." Gerson instructed, still standing in the same spot he'd been in since this latest challenge began.</p>
<p>"I'm not going fast enough," Terrence huffed, placing his hands on his knees and catching his breath.</p>
<p>Gerson shook his head. "You're being predictable. Not only that, but you're underestimating your opponent. Pretend I'm one of those Messiah men, if you have to!"</p>
<p>Terrence frowned. Gerson was right, he'd have to try something new. The boy did a quick scan of the room- and noticed the orange SOUL levitating nearby.</p>
<p>"YOU'RE the answer!" Terrence concluded, pointing at it.</p>
<p>"In certain situations, yes- but you need to understand that your SOUL always can't be relied upon." Gerson informed him. "For this lesson, you must learn how to strike me without the assistance of magic. Use what I've taught you so far. Patience. Balance. Weight. Movement. All can be used to successfully hit me."</p>
<p>Terrence stared at his SOUL a moment longer, before nodding, and turning back to Gerson, picturing the big lumbering brute who'd attacked Frisk shortly before he'd been knocked out. Other than the one Undyne caught, it was the only member of the Messiah he could recall. The ones in masks with guns didn't count. They weren't as memorable.</p>
<p>The orange-eyed boy took a nice, deep breath, visualizing the opponent, plotting out his path of motion in his head. He wanted to be the opposite of what Gerson had told him the SOUL of Bravery was prone to. He wanted to think with his head- there was no way he could protect Frisk by swinging wildly like a dumbass. His opponents would never succumb to such a lame strategy.</p>
<p>Having a plan proved to be much better than walking up and attempting a jab- Terrence moved forward, much quicker this time, still seeing Gerson as that massive Messiah goon, extending a hand, which was promptly struck by Gerson's staff- but the boy had left his hand open, enough so that he could grab onto the staff instead of getting his fist struck away. With the weapon now in his grasp, Terrence swung with his other hand- but Gerson sidestepped in the blink of an eye, causing his student's fist to strike a wall of solid rock instead.</p>
<p>"Shhhhhhhhhhhh-" Terrence hissed, biting his tongue to force himself not to swear in front of Gerson.</p>
<p>"It was a good attempt," the turtle monster admitted. "Much better than your first one."</p>
<p>"Thaaaanks..." Terrence replied through grit teeth, his fist throbbing painfully as he clutched it with his other hand, tears of pain stinging his eyes. He quickly blinked them away, still gritting his teeth as he turned back to Gerson, raring to go again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When the pair exited the mouth of the cave, Terrence breathed in a breath of fresh air, the moon hanging high in the sky above. "You've done well today." Gerson congratulated him. "I think you may have earned your title as my student."</p>
<p>"Does that mean I have to call you sensei?" Terrence asked, his hands wrapped in cloth, which proved to be very helpful in later accidental punches to cave walls. "It does." Gerson nodded. "You have begun your training following the way of the turtle. It is known as Sherudo, and is a long forgotten art." He paused, and turned to look at Terrence with a twinkle in his eye. "Lord Fallian was the one who taught it to me."</p>
<p>"Lord Fallian... the guy who you think I'm a reincarnation of?" Terrence scratched the back of his neck, which proved difficult with the cloths attached to his hands.</p>
<p>"I don't think you are," Gerson replied simply, smiling brightly. "I know it. There's only one person in the world who could possess a SOUL of Bravery like yours."</p>
<p>Terrence personally wasn't buying it, but decided to let it go. He had no real reason to argue otherwise with Gerson, who seemed like a fairly wise and intelligent monster. "I still didn't land a hit on you." He stated, folding his arms, making Gerson cackle. "I know." He stepped behind his wooden booth, digging through it for a moment. "You will in time." He told Terrence. "You must master Sherudo to succeed. Undyne and Asgore both didn't succeed in hitting me for weeks, and those two are some of the best students I've ever had."</p>
<p>"Do both of them still follow Sherudo?" Terrence asked, starting to unwrap his hands. Gerson shrugged. "As I said, it's a forgotten art. The style of patience, balance, and precision- which I still have yet to teach you -are not most popular. Asgore had many teachers, I was merely one of them. Over time, you begin to develop your own unique fighting style. Asgore learned to fight with the trident, his father's signature weapon, despite him desiring to be a swordsman. Undyne too desired the way of the sword. It wasn't until after her teachings under Asgore that she became the Spear of Justice, much like I once was the Hammer of Justice."</p>
<p>"Why would a person want to have multiple teachers?" Terrence folded his arms. "Isn't it better to learn from one person who really knows what they're doing?"</p>
<p>"How many teachers do you have at school?" Gerson asked.</p>
<p>"There's dozens of teachers at my school," Terrence replied. "Why?"</p>
<p>"Why do you think they don't just hire one teacher who knows every subject?"</p>
<p>"Because they'd have to pay that person the entire school's annual budget."</p>
<p>"Try again."</p>
<p>"Alright, alright. It's because nobody's a master of all subjects."</p>
<p>"Exactly. I may be old and wise, boy, but I don't know everything. Your growth would eventually come to a grinding halt if I was your only sensei for the rest of your life. Learning from more than one teacher will make you stronger than any one of your sensei's. It also enables you to develop a style unique to you."</p>
<p>That made sense. He guessed. It seemed pretty logical at least, and Terrence nodded. "Am I dismissed, Gerson?"</p>
<p>"Hm?" Gerson asked.</p>
<p>"Am I dismissed?"</p>
<p>"Am I dismissed...?" Gerson repeated, and Terrence blinked blankly, before realization hit him. "Oh! Uh... Am I dismissed, <em>sensei?</em>" He asked. Gerson smiled, and gave him a nod. "As is customary with your sensei, both student and teacher will bow to one another, signifying the end of their interaction, whether that be tea, a friendly conversation, or training."</p>
<p>Terrence offered a bow, as deep as he could manage with his sore muscles. Gerson seemed satisfied with it, offering a bow of his own, before coming back up and turning around.</p>
<p>"Get back home before it gets too late," the turtle monster advised. "I expect you to be back here tomorrow, same time."</p>
<p>Terrence swallowed. He'd be doing this again? What if he didn't have time? After all, there were those interviews.</p>
<p>"Um... Gerson... before I go, can I talk to you about something?" Terrence asked. Gerson plopped himself on a stool behind the booth, whipping out a magnifying glass to look at a crystal that sat on the booth's surface. "Ask away!" The turtle replied.</p>
<p>"So... I'm a foster kid. My last foster parents just sent me back to the foster home this morning, and uh... a friend of mine has set up some appointments for me. For new... families. I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Hm..." Gerson stroked his chin for a moment, twirling his wispy white goatee. "Don't worry about it." He replied. "I'll foster you."</p>
<p>Terrence blinked, completely taken aback. "I... what?"</p>
<p>"You heard me. I'll foster you. Better me than some stranger, right?"</p>
<p>Terrence blinked. He'd just met Gerson that morning, but... he'd already come to respect him, after the day of training he'd just gone through.</p>
<p>"But are you, uh... qualified to foster?" Terrence questioned.</p>
<p>"Boy, I'm over two millennia old and have amassed a great wealth. Mostly of rocks. If they don't accept that, I'll make them. Just tell me when the appointments are tomorrow. You're the one who chooses the family, aren't you?" Gerson asked, pulling back the magnifying glass and bringing the crystal to his mouth, biting down on it. Satisfied, he pulled it away from his mouth and stared at it in interest.</p>
<p>"Uh... yeah. It'll be at a place called The Jade House, sometime tomorrow morning. There's a guy named Marcus Jones setting up the appointments, if that helps," Terrence offered, a little surprised Gerson had made such an offer. Training was one thing- fostering was another.</p>
<p>"Good." Gerson set down the crystal and hopped down from his chair, moving to stand in front of Terrence. "I will be by tomorrow to collect you." With that, he bowed. Terrence hastily bowed back. "Thank you, sensei. This really means a lot." Terrence smiled.</p>
<p>The two bid each other farewell, and then Terrence was off, heading back toward the Jade House to try and get some sleep for the night. According to his phone, it was about 11:00 at night, meaning he'd been training for nearly six hours. No wonder he felt ready to pass out. On the bright side, he'd mostly worked with his upper body, so his legs had enough energy left in them to carry him back to the foster care center.</p>
<p>In what felt like no time at all, he'd returned to what he'd often called his room. It was mostly empty aside from a bed and a poster of an old rock band called 'Snake Tongue' that he often enjoyed. He'd even gotten Frisk into the music, though the band had broken up long before he'd been born. They were still good though. Stray articles of clothing littered the floor, most of which was too small for him now. He'd stayed off and on in this room for years. For as long as he could remember, really. Now, here he was. Back again.</p>
<p><em>'Not for long</em>', he smiled to himself before collapsing onto his unmade twin-sized bed with blue sheets. He didn't even bother to take off his shoes as he fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. "Repression"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rian takes Sadie to visit her grandma, and the two must confront their immediate past.</p>
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      <p><strong>DISCLAIMER</strong>: This episode deals with serious social issues. If this makes you uncomfortable, I recommend you simply skip this episode.</p>
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        <em>"Here's to another victory!"</em>
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        <em>A teen stood at the head of a lunch table, a milk carton in his hand. He was still wearing his football gear aside from his helmet. The rest of the table raised their milk cartons in a toast, cheering. Most of the table were the other players, and some were other students. Near the head of the table sat a grinning Rian, who proceeded to chug several milk cartons while Sadie sat beside him, sitting sideways in her seat with her feet on the spot beside her, leaning her back against Rian's shoulder as she texted on her phone.</em>
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        <em>"And here's to more victories for the Garden Goliaths for years to come!" The team captain raised another milk carton. Another toast was made, and Rian chugged down a few more milks. The Goliaths was Garden High School's mascots. They weren't the best or most prestigious school in Savory, but they'd just wiped the floor with their rival school in the last football game of the season.</em>
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        <em>"C'mon Sadie! Chug with me!" Rian nudged his best friend, offering her an unopened carton of milk. She looked at it, before looking to Rian. "I need something bigger if I'm gonna chug." She told him. "Fair." He shrugged, opening the carton to chug more milk. After some more celebration at their successful season, one football player on the other side of Rian nudged him. "Hey look, it's Stain." He pointed to a table opposite theirs at a boy their grade, though he was much smaller than any of them, with greasy black hair that covered his face, and pale skin. He wore mostly black clothes, and had his nose stuck into a geography book.</em>
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        <em>Stain was every bully's favorite target. He had an embarrassing history (which consisted of many poop-stained underwear stories, hence his nickname), was easy to pick on, and had plenty about him to make fun of. When the football player pointed him out, several other heads started to turn to Stain. For much of the football team, Stain was a favorite 'toy' of theirs. No matter how they were feeling, they'd pick relentlessly on the poor kid. Rian himself used to do the same, but after some convincing from Sadie, he'd stopped. However, he did nothing to stop his teammates from bullying the kid.</em>
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        <em>Stain sat alone, not even noticing all the people who were now staring at him as he was engrossed in the book that seemed a little too heavy for a kid of his size to carry. Finally, the football captain stood up. "Lame Stain!" He hollered, making the boy jump and look over at them. Noticing who they were, he quickly stuffed his book into his backpack, hastily picking up his lunch tray and making for the trash cans to dump his food, which was barely touched.</em>
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        <em>Sadie gave the football captain a look; the same one she'd given Rian the first time she'd seen him pick on Stain. Frankly, she found the behavior immature, and rumor had it that the poor kid had it almost as bad at home as he had it at school, if not worse. After Sadie had convinced Rian to stop picking on Stain, she'd practically painted a target on her back for the football team to start bullying her, too. But luckily, she and Rian were quite close, and nobody wanted a kid as big and burly as Rian on their bad side- not to mention, a few members of the team found Sadie cute. All in all, she was pretty much immune to the bullying, and couldn't help but feel bad that Stain didn't have such a luxury. And yet, she didn't try to stop the rest of the team, and didn't know why.</em>
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        <em>"Where you goin', Stain?" The captain asked as several players got up to join him in marching over to the boy whose name everyone had forgotten. Rian elected to ignore it all, trying to eat his food while beginning to feel sick from all the milk.</em>
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        <em>Stain tried to weave around them after putting up his tray, but was shoved by one of the players, and fell to the ground, his bag slipping off and sliding across the floor. "I said 'where you goin'?" The captain leered over the boy as he quietly made to collect his bag.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>While the boy was being picked on, Rian and Sadie continued to stay seated, pretending as though it wasn't happening.</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Come on!"</p>
      <p>Rian called to Sadie as he parked his car in the driveway of Sadie's new house. After what had happened to Garden High School, Sadie had been transferred to Voxis to live with her mom and her sisters. Rian and his dad moved as well, deciding to leave Savory behind. Today, however, they were going back to visit Sadie's grandma, whom she'd called 'Wammy' since she first learned to speak. Rian had been convinced by Sadie to take her to see her wammy. Both didn't say anything about it, but they were both aware of how each other felt about returning to Savory. The suppressed memories... the regrets... it would be a lot harder to ignore once back.</p>
      <p>Sadie's three younger siblings were all seated on the porch- they weren't coming along, but they'd requested to see her off before she headed to Savory City with Rian.</p>
      <p>Sadie held up a finger towards Rian's car, meaning she'd just be a minute. The girl turned to her siblings, folding her arms.</p>
      <p>"Okay, you guys know the deal, right? Be on your best behavior for ma. Your lunches for school are in the fridge- don't eat too much sugar, especially before bedtime- that means you, Mya, I know how you get when you eat Oreos after 7:00 PM."</p>
      <p>Sadie's youngest sister, Mya, who looked to be about five years old, giggled as she recalled the night her older sis referred to.</p>
      <p>She hugged each sister before rushing to Rian's car and climbing in. "Let's go." She grinned. Her sisters waved and called bye to the pair as Rian pulled out, and this continued until they were out of sight.</p>
      <p>Sadie sighed and leaned back into the passenger seat. "This'll be fun." She stated, at which Rian grunted at. She glanced at him, noticing his tense shoulders and glossy eyes. "...thinking about Fuku or...?"</p>
      <p>Rian shrugged, making a turn onto the highway.</p>
      <p>"Why so quiet?" Sadie asked, earning only another shrug. One of three things was happening- Rian was mad at her for drinking his protein shake the other day when he wasn't looking, he was thinking about his new lady-friend Fuku, or he was having mixed feelings about going back to Savory City. If it was the third thing, she really didn't blame him.</p>
      <p>"I know what'll cheer you up." Sadie stated, and dug in the glove box for a moment before pulling out a cassette tape, then a tape player along with it. The tape was labelled 'The Mystery of Don DeFron'. It was something that had been in Rian's possession since his great grandfather had passed away and left it for him. That wasn't the only reason why Rian cherished it- he also really enjoyed the story recorded on the tape. A detective noir story about a grueling detective on a cold case that hadn't been cracked in decades.</p>
      <p>He glanced over at it, and a smile tugged at his lips. "Eh? Ehhhh?" Sadie grinned widely, waving the tape under his nose. Finally, he smiled. "Okay, okay... sure."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, that's what I thought," Sadie replied, satisfied. Obviously, Rian probably wouldn't be able to give the tape his full attention while he was driving, but he could still appreciate it as background noise too. Sadie popped the tape in the player, and after a few moments of silence filled the car, the audio began to play, earning an even wider smile from both of them.</p>
      <p>
        <em>'It was a cold, dreary night in downtown Fallay. I hadn't gotten a wink of rest, and found myself pacing endlessly through my cluttered office, flipping through various papers in my hands. The case was getting to me. I had circles under my eyes, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept.'</em>
      </p>
      <p>The cold opening of the detective noir began, the two listening to it as they began to make their way out of Voxis City, making their way into the country. Even with the distraction, Rian still couldn't help but think about what had happened.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>It was early in the morning as Rian and Sadie stood at the school entrance, next to about a quarter of the football team, waiting for the bell to ring and for class to start. The jocks and Rian were talking about the usual. Football, girls, and food. Sadie ignored the conversation mostly with her arms folded, staring out of the building to the parking lot outside, where it was raining heavily.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"And so then I said; ''what do you mean? That spaghetti's been sitting there all week!" Rian grinned widely as he delivered the punchline. The football team erupted into howls of confused laughter, one of them doubling over before taking a step back, and knocking into someone, who was unbalanced and fell to the floor. "Hey, watch it." The player barked, turning around, before his face lit up. "Well if it isn't Lame Stain!"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Stain had fallen on his rear, dropping his lunchbox, hands scraped up from the pavement. He was clearly already frustrated, but didn't say a word- even as one of the football players snatched up the boy's lunchbox.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Ooo, looks like Lame Stain's mommy packed him a lunch!" the jock snorted, before tossing the lunchbox a few feet away, earning a frown from the boy.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I packed that myself..." Stain mumbled, standing up and brushing himself off, hands bleeding, but only slightly.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"What'd you pack, huh? More poop?" another player asked, referencing the time that one of the jocks had snuck a cat turd into unsuspecting Stain's lunchbox. Frustrated, the boy being bullied ran forward and tried to shove one of his bullies, but didn't even come close to succeeding. He'd tried to knock down the captain of the team, who didn't budge, instead forcing his own arms into the much smaller kid, making him fall on his bottom twice as hard as before.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"What the hell was that?" The captain demanded. "James..." Rian began, but did nothing else as the captain ignored him, stooping over and grabbing Stain, lifting him into the air by the collar of his shirt. "Think you're some tough little shit? I'll show you what you get when you mess with me."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>With unnecessary ferocity, James dragged the poor kid out into the pouring rain, heading right for a gutter that was rushing water through it. "Teach you to mess with me." He growled, and shoved the kids face into the water. The other jocks, and plenty of surrounding students, watched from the dryness of the awning as some of them cheered James on. Rian and Sadie themselves watched, glancing at each other, but didn't move.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Stain thrashed desperately as he was completely soaked by the combination of the rain and the gutter water, for about a solid thirty seconds until James finally let go of the poor kid, but the football captain's anger was the gift that just kept on giving. He grabbed one of Stain's shoes, pulling it off and chucking it halfway across the parking lot.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Yeah, not so tough now, are you? Don't fuck with me," James growled, before returning to the rest of the players.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>To Sadie's absolute disgust, several of Rian's teammates even congratulated James with pats on the back and some whoops. "Ugh. Let's get to class early." She muttered to Rian, who stared out at Stain, who was trudging through the rain to collect his shoe, before nodding at Sadie. "Yeah... let's go."</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"So... apparently Terrence is a natural at fighting." Sadie informed Rian from the passenger seat, staring at her phone. She was slumped down in the seat, her feet kicked up on the dash. Had anyone else been doing that, Rian would have kicked them out of his car in a heartbeat. But not Sadie.</p>
      <p>"He should consider joining the football team." Rian stated. "I think he'd be a natural at it, too."</p>
      <p>"Really? You think so?" Sadie asked. "You could always put in a good word to the coach for him, y'know."</p>
      <p>"I just might, if he's any good. Assuming he's even interested in trying out. With Frisk, and his new turtle friend, I dunno if he'd have the time."</p>
      <p>"You never know. Once we're parked, you should check out the video he posted in the GC. He made these weird orange hand things, it was cool."</p>
      <p>"I wish I could do that." Rian stated. "Ask him what he did to make his thingy appear. Maybe we could try to make ours appear later."</p>
      <p>"Sure." Sadie replied, typing up a quick response. After a few moments, she tucked away her phone, staring out of the window at the passing farmland. "I forgot how far Voxis is from Savory..." She stated, staring at a cow as it grazed. "Think Wammy will be awake when we get there?" Rian asked.</p>
      <p>"Who knows? Sometimes, she sleeps four hours, sometimes she sleeps forty."</p>
      <p>"Oh, right. I remember that time she slept forty hours. You called me, crying, because your family thought she was..."</p>
      <p>"Yeah... it was kinda embarrassing when she woke up and we found her getting a bowl of Cocoa Loops," Sadie chuckled. "Man, I've missed her."</p>
      <p>Rian grinned, sharing a look with Sadie before he returned his eyes to the road. "Yeah. Me too." For three generations, the two families had been undeniably close. It all started when their great grandparents' rivalry ended the day their two children became the closest of friends- Rian and Sadie's grandma's. Rian's grandmother had since passed peacefully in her sleep, but her friendship with Wammy was still as strong as ever. Even in death. Rian's father and Sadie's mother had been close friends, much like the two teens themselves. Nowadays, though, the two rarely spoke to one another. Rian and Sadie promised each other to never be like that.</p>
      <p>Best friends forever.</p>
      <p>The drive continued on for quite a while, the two making idle small chat here or there, before the farmland made way into forestry and giant hills. A sure sign they were getting close, as Savory City sat within a large valley.</p>
      <p>"I see with my little eye... something yellow." Sadie stated.</p>
      <p>"The sun."</p>
      <p>"Nope."</p>
      <p>"Uh... a flower."</p>
      <p>"Nope."</p>
      <p>"...A... uh... duck...?"</p>
      <p>"Nope."</p>
      <p>"Is it the carton of goldfish in the backseat? Those are really more of an orange."</p>
      <p>"Nope."</p>
      <p>"Alright, I give up. Tell me?"</p>
      <p>"About fifteen minutes ago, a fat little bumblebee flew by my window."</p>
      <p>"And...?"</p>
      <p>"That's it. He was yellow, after all."</p>
      <p>Rian snorted. "Hilarious," he replied. "My turn. I spy something white."</p>
      <p>"A cloud you saw fifteen minutes ago."</p>
      <p>"Damn."</p>
      <p>"You're too easy, dude." Sadie stated matter-of-factly as she leaned back, resting her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. Rian chuckled, before shrugging. "Yeah... I guess so."</p>
      <p>They fell silent as the drive continued, the sun now beginning its setting cycle, growing ever so closer to the distant mountains. Sadie pulled out her phone, checking her texts. "Damn." She said. "What is it?" Rian asked, appearing concerned. "Oh nothing." His best friend shrugged. "Just F and T plotting to get G a Homecoming date."</p>
      <p>"Oh." Rian nodded, appearing relieved. After another moment of silence, he spoke again. "Hey, Sadie?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah?"</p>
      <p>"Do you think... do you think things have changed? Like... gotten worse? Since... it happened?"</p>
      <p>Sadie didn't say anything for about thirty seconds, and Rian figured she'd decided not to reply at all; but then she spoke.</p>
      <p>"Of course I do," she replied, letting out a long breath. "When something like that happens... people don't just forget. It's still pretty recent. The only reason we've been able to keep ourselves in the light is because we moved to Voxis. Away from all the bad memories."</p>
      <p>Rian nodded, hands clutching the wheel a little tighter. "It's hard to think about," he admitted. "Our classmates..."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>"Did you do it?" James asked as one of his fellow football players came out of the boy's bathroom with a wicked smirk, nodding like a bobble head toy. Sadie and Rian were leaned against a nearby wall, the former watching with total annoyance toward James, while the latter had a poker face- he, much like his best friend, didn't much care for this... the rest of the team was ecstatic, on the contrary.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Stain had attempted to eat his lunch in the bathroom that day to avoid his meal being ruined by his bullies. It was just bad luck that they'd snuck a peek of him walking in with his tray.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>The boys howled with laughter, which only intensified when the small frame of Stain walked out of the bathroom, his body covered in juices and condiments and milks, his food uneaten on the tray in his arms. His head was bowed, his hair covering his face as he tried to walk away, but James was quick to grab him by the arm, causing him to drop the tray and spill his ruined food all over the ground. "Come on, Lame Stain. Let's get you cleaned up. I've heard the toilet is great for quick cleans."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Stain hardly even resisted as he was dragged back into the bathroom, the other jocks following closely behind. "Some friends you got." Sadie muttered to Rian. "Hey, I'm not like them anymore!" He defended himself as Sadie grabbed his arm and started pulling him off to go to their next class. "Never be like them again." She replied.</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>The sun was setting over the horizon as Rian's car pulled into the driveway of a nice little suburban home. "Come on!" Sadie said excitedly as she practically jumped out of the car before Rian had even parked it. "Yeah yeah, gimme a sec." He replied, turning the engine off and climbing out.</p>
      <p>Sadie was already knocking on the door to Wammy's house by the time Rian made it to the porch. Honestly, he was excited to see Wammy again too- maybe not quite as much as Sadie, but he always felt pretty good inside whenever he visited. Not only was Wammy an amazing cook, but she also adored the pair of Rian and Sadie, not to mention she had all kinda of wild stories about Rian's own grandma, which weren't the kind of stories anyone would expect to hear from such a kind and polite old woman.</p>
      <p>After about thirty more rapid knocks, the door opened, and the kind old face of Wammy appeared. She stood a foot shorter than Sadie, and had poofy, thin white hair that was usually pulled back into a bun, but tonight was loose and wild. "Boogerboo!" She exclaimed when she saw Sadie, wrapping her arms quickly around her granddaughter, before seeing Rian. "Stinkerstoo!" She moved to Rian and hugged him as well.</p>
      <p>"Great to see ya again, Wammy," Sadie folded her arms and beamed, earning a chuckle from the little old woman.</p>
      <p>"It's been lonely without having the family around, boo," Wammy replied. "Come inside, I already baked you two up some treats. This is the only company little old me has gotten all week, so I put lots of love into them."</p>
      <p>"Oh man!" Rian grinned widely, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.</p>
      <p>Wammy's house wasn't your typical old lady house. Sure she had frilly curtains and the house smelled of old people, not to mention the walls were filled with pictures of family and friends throughout the years, but there was also an expensive treadmill in the corner of the room, a large flat screen tv taking up most of a wall, and a punching bag hanging from the ceiling.</p>
      <p>She led them to the kitchen, which was more of your stereotypical grandma kitchen, complete with fancy wallpaper of little angel babies decorating the walls.</p>
      <p>"Help yourselves to everything on the counter," Wammy told them, waving one hand toward all the goodies she'd prepared; it was mostly different kinds of cookies, some chocolate chip cookies, some sugar cookies, and some cookies with raspberry filling in the middle- Sadie's personal favorite.</p>
      <p>"I've got some strawberries dipped in chocolate, too," Wammy stated, "but they're cooling off in the fridge."</p>
      <p>"Oh well. I guess these can hold us over for now," Sadie smiled, picking up a raspberry cookie. "Thank you, Wammy!"</p>
      <p>"Yes, thank you!" Rian grinned, indulging in the chocolate chip cookies as Wammy watched them with fondness. "Oh, it's so good to see you two again." She smiled warmly. "You're both getting so big!"</p>
      <p>"Wammy, it's only been a few months."</p>
      <p>"A lot can change in a few short months." Wammy pointed out. "Like your height! And your muscles!" She poked Rian's shoulder, and he smiled widely, cookie crumbs falling off his lips. "I've been working out more!" He stated. "For a girl?" Wammy asked knowingly.</p>
      <p>"Geez, Wammy, you didn't waste any time hitting the nail on the head," Sadie giggled, stuffing her face with the raspberry cookie in her hand.</p>
      <p>"Well... okay, so I like a girl," Rian shrugged. "It's no big deal. I haven't even asked her out yet."</p>
      <p>"Well, I think it's wonderful that you have a crush," Wammy smiled warmly, before turning to Sadie. "And I don't suppose there's any special boys in your life, Sadie?"</p>
      <p>"Eh? Uh... well, no, not really," Sadie shook her head, swallowing her cookie.</p>
      <p>"No? No granddaughter of mine's going without getting some beefy boy in her life." Wammy chuckled, and Sadie blushed. "Wammy..."</p>
      <p>Rian, however, got a real kick out of that, bursting out laughing.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>"I still don't think we should offer him a ride just because he wrecked his car for, you know, drunk driving." Sadie sighed, leaning against Rian as they waited with his car, staring at the large house before them. The sound of muffled yelling could be heard coming from within. "He's my friend." Rian shrugged. "I know he can be a jerk, but that doesn't mean I have to be."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie made no reply as they waited, the yelling coming from within the house continuing. "How much you wanna bet he's being a spoiled little rich boy and yelling at his mom for not getting the new Gamestation?" Sadie asked, somewhat joking, though mostly out of spite for the guy. "James' mom died last year." Rian reminded her, and she seemed to shrink slightly. "Oh. Right. Nevermind."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>After a few more minutes, the front door finally opened and James came outside, his backpack slung over his shoulder. When he noticed Rian and Sadie, he quickly rubbed his sleeve against his face. "Hey." He mumbled as he approached, sporting a new black eye. "Dude... are you okay?" Rian asked. "Fine. Can we just go now?" James asked, his demeanor not that different from Stain's.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Yeah... yeah, of course," Rian nodded. James made a beeline for the passenger's side door, and Sadie seemed bothered.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Uh, James? Actually, that's..."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"What?" James spun around, looking down at her. The girl swallowed- James was over a foot taller than her, and towered overhead. Sadie knew she was safe from James, for the most part, but he was still scary.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"...just wanted to let you know that the seatbelt can be a bit quirky in that seat," Sadie mumbled, earning no reply from James as she got in the backseat.</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"Okay. Marry, screw, kill." Sadie grinned at Rian, who groaned. "We haven't played that game for like, three years."</p>
      <p>"Yeah? And I figured it'd be fun to bring back since we can't sleep." Sadie shrugged. She was seated cross-legged on her bed as Rian stared up at her from the cot on the ground, before he sighed. "Okay, okay... fine. Let's play."</p>
      <p>"Melissa Wagner, Sharon Cox, Abigail Stratton," Sadie began.</p>
      <p>"Marry Melissa, screw Abigail, kill Sharon," Rian answered quickly. Normally, he'd be much more hesitant to play this game, but he and Sadie knew they wouldn't judge each other. There was the occasional tease, but not much further than that.</p>
      <p>"Good answers. Your turn," Sadie smiled, leaning back against the wall.</p>
      <p>Rian thought for a moment, before he propped himself up on his elbows, smirking at her. "Gregory, Jason Clever, and Coach Small."</p>
      <p>"Oh." Sadie raised her eyebrows. "Playing dirty so early? Okay... Marry Greg, screw Jason, and kill Coach Small. But you already knew those were my choices, didn't you?" She asked. Rian only shrugged. "Your turn."</p>
      <p>"Okay... Fuku Fire, Frisk, and Mrs. June."</p>
      <p>"Damn, I've tasted my own medicine," Rian laughed. "Hm. Okay. Marry Fuku, screw Mrs. June, kill Frisk."</p>
      <p>"Dang, poor Frisk."</p>
      <p>"Hey, that's T's girl. I gotta honor the bro code," Rian replied simply.</p>
      <p>"Very admirable, considering Mrs. June is married," Sadie teased. "Your turn."</p>
      <p>"Hm... Terrence, Sans, and Stai-" His voice seemed to catch in his throat, before he stopped, his expression turning sour. There was a long moment of silence, before Rian laid back down. "...I think I'm done with this game." He told her, turning away. Sadie stared at him for a moment, before she got off the bed and plopped down beside him. "Hey. Rian. C'mere." She told him. He didn't move for a moment, before he slowly sat up, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Sorry, dude." She told him. "It's hard dealing with what happened, I know, but... it's kinda your own fault for bringing him up."</p>
      <p>Rian was still for a moment, before he put his arm around her and hugged her back. "Yeah. My bad." He sighed. "It just doesn't get any easier, does it? I'm just... so full of... guilt. Like... I could have done something about it..."</p>
      <p>"Yeah... I know how you feel," Sadie sighed, leaning into him. "I feel really dumb, looking back on it. I mean, at the time, I thought I was making a difference just because I wasn't joining in... but that wasn't helping at all. Kid still had the whole football team breathing down his neck..."</p>
      <p>"Do you think we're ever gonna be able to forget what happened?" Rian asked, wiping at his eyes, causing Sadie to pause, deep in thought.</p>
      <p>"I don't think so," she stated bluntly. "But maybe that's a good thing, that we'll never completely forget. After all... now we can always make sure we do everything we can so that history doesn't repeat itself. I don't like thinking about it, but... it's just something we'll have to live with."</p>
      <p>They stayed together for a few moments longer, before parting, and Sadie climbed back into her bed. "Let's just... try to sleep now." She offered, and Rian nodded. "Yeah... hey Sadie?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah?"</p>
      <p>"Love you bunches."</p>
      <p>"Love you bunches more." She smiled back, watching as he settled back down, and closed his eyes. She hated seeing him like this. Her Rian was always confident, goofy, and fun. She didn't let it show as much as he did, but the whole thing with Stain was still eating her up just as much, even after nearly eight months since it all happened.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>James stood in the center of the auditorium, most of the football team gathered around him, including Rian. Theatre students and some of the nerds were there as well. "Hell yeah!" James cheered, lifting up an audition sheet. "I'm playing Bender!"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I'm playing a rock." Another student stated, eyeing the paper. Sadie stood nearby at the entrance to the auditorium, watching as Rian got his turn to look over the paper, before he came jogging up to her. "I'm playing Alejandro the Dummy!" He informed her proudly. "How fitting." She teased, before noticing somebody walk by her and Rian, who she recognized immediately. It was Stain, wearing an unusually large coat today, storming by her and marching toward the large group of students. She caught a glimpse of his face, and for some reason, she felt her blood run cold. He'd looked livid, almost... inhumanly so. "Uh... Rian?" She whispered, nodding to Stain as he made his way into the crowd, making a beeline for James. Rian followed her gaze, and his face fell. "This can't be good." He muttered.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Stain approached James, immediately stopping behind the towering boy, glaring up. His face was so red and bunched up that even James looked a little startled as he turned around.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Oh, uh, hey, Stain, I was actua-" the taller boy began, and was immediately punched in the nose from below. James didn't stumble, but his nose started bleeding.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"That the-"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>People started grabbing at Stain, but nobody was prepared for what happened next.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>A small, black box about the size of a brick clattered to the ground next to Stain. It was covered in wires of various colors, and electrical tape.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>The next few seconds seemed to move in slow motion- Rian grabbed Sadie and ran for his life, faster than he'd ever run on the football field, scooping the girl up in his arms as best he could. A torrent of screams roared behind him.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>And then he felt a blast of heat.</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Rian shot up on his cot, body drenched in cold sweat. He was breathing heavily, heart thundering a mile a minute in his chest. Taking a few seconds to calm down, he turned to look at Sadie, who was leaned against the wall as she sat on her bed, staring at him. "Same dream?" She asked quietly. He gulped, before slowly nodding. "Yeah..." He breathed, his breath shuddering slightly. "I'm..." He closed his eyes, but didn't finish his sentence, unable to translate his thoughts into words at the moment. Sadie seemed to understand, however, and nodded slightly, staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe we should like... I dunno... talk about it more? I felt better last night after we talked about it." She offered.</p>
      <p>"Yeah... maybe," Rian huffed.</p>
      <p>"Get up here," Sadie said, patting the spot next to her on the bed. Rian stood up and took a seat beside his best friend, wiping away the cold sweat that was beaded on his forehead. "I just... I still can't believe it happened," Rian panted. "It's one of those things you hear about all the time, and you never think it'll happen to you, but..." He buried his face in his hands. "It did happen, Sadie. Stain bombed the school."</p>
      <p>They were silent for a long moment as Sadie leaned against him, feeling him shivering slightly. "Nothing'll change that, too." She said quietly. "James, the team, our friends, and so many other people we never even met... gone in an instant..."</p>
      <p>"I've been trying to, you know, not think about it. Ever since we got to Voxis. I keep putting the thoughts away, try to ignore them... and it's been easy, especially with our new friends, but... being back... I forgot how much it hurts."</p>
      <p>Sadie rested her head on Rian's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Me too..." She muttered. "I've... thought about visiting their graves. Paying respects, I guess. I dunno. I thought maybe it could help ease the pain in some way."</p>
      <p>"Really?" Rian looked at her. "I don't know... don't you think that would be painful?"</p>
      <p>"...maybe. But it might give us closure. Just a little bit. I'm kind of desperate for it, to be honest."</p>
      <p>"...how about we do that tomorrow?" Rian suggested. "We could bring some flowers, stuff we know they liked..."</p>
      <p>"I'm not bringing Playguy magazines for James." Sadie couldn't help but laugh sadly at her joke, and Rian chuckled with her. "Okay. Maybe just flowers... and words." He offered. Sadie pulled out her phone and looked at the time. It was only three in the morning. "...we could pay respects to Stain's parents, too, I guess..." She added. Rian frowned, thinking for a moment as his heart rate finally started to calm down. "God... I can't even imagine what they must be going through..."</p>
      <p>"What about James' dad? And the others?" Sadie added, but Rian shook his head.</p>
      <p>"James' dad requested that nobody visit him to talk about it. A lot of people did the same. Although, Stain's parents did remain quiet. Maybe they wouldn't mind...?"</p>
      <p>"Guess we'll see..." Sadie pursed her lips. "How are you feeling now, buddy?"</p>
      <p>"Better." Rian replied. "Thanks, Boogerboo." Sadie couldn't help but smirk at that. "Any time, Stinkerstoo."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>The sound of beeping accompanied his return to consciousness, and Rian began to stir, moving his head, slowly opening his eyes to see only blurred shapes surrounded in white light. "Rian!"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>He felt arms wrap around his middle, arms he recognized as Sadie's. "Sadie...?" He mumbled. "What... happened?"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Your back- it-" Sadie was sobbing, barely able to string her words together, let alone form coherent sentences. "You got- got burned-" she continued to struggle, and Rian was able to piece it together from there. What had gone down in the auditorium felt like a blurry, distant dream, but he knew it was real.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>And now... was this a hospital bed?</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I..." He blinked, trying to clear his gaze. "Stain... he didn't... I don't..."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"He d-did..." Sadie replied, still holding onto him tightly. "You saved me, Rian..." He moved his arm, searching for her back, before finding it and rubbing his hand over her back as comfortingly as he could. "I just... I didn't think. I acted. You... I couldn't let you get hurt." He admitted.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie wiped away the tears that stung in her eyes. Rian's vision began to come back to him, slowly but surely. He could feel a tingling pain in his back, and pretty much everywhere else, too. He'd blacked out the moment that fiery blast had touched him.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>It was a miracle he was alive.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"How the hell... did Stain get bombs...?" Rian asked sluggishly, probably due to drugs or something in his body. Or maybe he was just still super tired. "Nobody knows..." Sadie replied, before the sound of a door opening could be heard, and Rian turned to see the blurry image of his father nearing him. "How's my champ?" He asked, voice laced with worry.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Alive. And..." Rian paused, beginning to feel the weight of the whole situation. "Oh my God... how could this happen...?"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie's tears began to flow down her cheeks, and Rian could feel his eyes begin to sting as well- he wasn't as sad as he was in shock, but the former was beginning to set in, too.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Hey- hey buddy, don't worry about it right now, okay? How're you feeling?" Rian's dad asked, getting closer and sitting beside Sadie. Rian could tell from his old man's eyes that he'd been doing some crying of his own.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>His dad never cried...</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"So how long are you two staying?"</p>
      <p>Rian looked up from his bowl of applebits cereal at Wammy, who was currently slugging her punching bag, wearing an oversized pair of boxing gloves. It was a goofy sight to see such a frail old lady wailing on a punching bag twice her size, but he'd grown used to it over the years. "Just a couple days. We're skipping school tomorrow, but we'll be back by Tuesday for our first quarter finals." Sadie replied, spreading way too much jelly on a piece of toast.</p>
      <p>"Maybe we can go to the Houston Cafe. You two always loved the place." Wammy suggested, smiling kindly at them before she slugged her fist into the punching bag.</p>
      <p>"I remember that place," Rian nodded. "They had the best sandwiches."</p>
      <p>"I always went for their salads," Sadie replied, biting into her toast, getting a little bit of jelly on her upper lip in the process. "But hey, to each their own."</p>
      <p>"You only got the salads because they come with a brownie," Wammy chuckled, taking another swing at her punching bag. Sadie puffed with fake anger.</p>
      <p>"Hmph."</p>
      <p>"Hey, don't sweat it, bestie. Their brownies are good, too," Rian grinned.</p>
      <p>For the rest of the morning, they got ready for a day out on town in Rian's car. Most of that time was spent waiting for Wammy to finish her morning routine of boxing, running on her treadmill, then taking a relaxing morning bath.</p>
      <p>It was already thirty minutes into the afternoon by the time they were heading into the city. Things hadn't changed much in their short absence, but there something... strange in the air that neither teens could quite pin.</p>
      <p>They ate at the Houston Cafe for lunch, then went to the park afterward, swapping stories. Wammy seemed particularly interested when she learned that Rian's crush was a monster. Despite monsters having left the underground over four years ago, not many had left Voxis. Savory City had maybe two or three, though they were mostly out of the way.</p>
      <p>"Hey Wammy, Rian and I were thinking about stopping at the cemetery." Sadie informed her grandma, who was seated in the passenger seat. "Oh, that's no problem, dears. I was wondering when you'd want to go."</p>
      <p>"Yeah... do you think you'd want to go with us?" Sadie asked. "Maybe you could visit Rian's grandma while we're there."</p>
      <p>"Oh... that's not a terrible idea," Wammy admitted with a smile, looking at her granddaughter in the backseat. "I didn't ask yet because I'm worried it's a touchy subject, but... are you two alright after what happened?"</p>
      <p>Sadie looked down. "Well... not really. But we talked a bit last night, and now we feel a bit better. Hoping visiting the graves will help a bit, too, y'know?"</p>
      <p>Wammy nodded, smiling warmly. "Things in life happen, and sometimes people become lost to the chaos. While they may not be around anymore, paying your respects, or honoring their memory, can work wonders on a hurt consciousness and soul." She informed them as Rian made his way out of the city, and down a path where tall purple flowers extended up on either side of the road. "Ah... it looks like the violet stalks are in full bloom this year. That's a good omen." Wammy stated. "Those haven't been in full bloom for years. Not since your grandmother died." She patted Rian's shoulder.</p>
      <p>"Is that true?" Rian asked, raising an eyebrow with mild interest. It was pretty cool to know- unless Wammy was just saying it to try and lighten the mood, of course. "Lies never leave these lips," the old woman assured him, which satisfied Rian. Wammy was trustworthy, he knew that.</p>
      <p>The road continued for a little while longer, Wammy telling a story about how she used to pick the purple flowers to make flowers crowns, before Rian pulled up to a small little park-like area, but with several headstones covering the horizon. There were countless wilting flowers on graves, which were actually a bit nice to look at.</p>
      <p>They got out, and made their way into the cemetery, quickly spotting the names of many people they knew. "Wow..." Sadie shook her head. "So many of them..."</p>
      <p>"Yeah..." Rian replied, looking down at a 'Judge P. Everett'. "Heh... remember Judge? Those stupid pranks he used to pull on Coach Briggs?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah..." Sadie nodded, looking down the row, before pursing her lips. "...We don't even know what Stain's real name was."</p>
      <p>"Yeah... you know, I don't think I ever heard anyone call him anything else. Not once. That dumb poop stain incident from elementary school stuck with him his entire life."</p>
      <p>"It must've been hard," Sadie said, taking a deep breath. "I can't imagine people not calling me by my name like that."</p>
      <p>"Yeah..." Rian frowned. "Do you think we'll be able to find his grave?"</p>
      <p>"I don't know..." Sadie looked around at the other graves, before perking up, frowning. "...I think I just did." She pointed to a gravestone toward the back. It was the only one that appeared defiled. Bits had been smashed, there was graffiti on its surface, and it was the only grave not decorated in flowers.</p>
      <p>Rian and Sadie slowly approached it to find that the name had been scratched out and spray painted over. "...Yeah, this is uh... definitely him." Rian stated.</p>
      <p>"I don't know why I didn't expect this," Sadie admitted, eyeing some of the things that had been drawn and spray painted onto the rock. She wondered how long the grave had been here prior to being defiled.</p>
      <p>"I don't know how to feel about leaving flowers on his grave," Rian whispered. "I mean... I know the kid got bullied. More than anyone could ever deserve. But... he bombed a school. People died."</p>
      <p>"I know. I've been thinking about it all day... I don't know how to feel about him."</p>
      <p>They stared down at the grave for a moment, before Rian kneeled and placed a hand on the stone. "...what you did wasn't... good... and I'm sorry that you chose to do what you did." Rian said to it. "I keep thinking that... maybe, if I'd intervened and stood up for you... maybe everyone here would still be alive. And maybe you'd be happier. I... blame myself." He admitted, and Sadie stared down at her best friend with wide eyes. "It wasn't your fault," Sadie whispered to him. "We can't... we can't keep focusing on 'what if.' Anyone could have intervened, but nobody did. If we went on that logic, everyone would be to blame..." She sighed. "And maybe everyone does share the blame. Or maybe nobody should get blamed at all in situations like this."</p>
      <p>She looked down at the grave.</p>
      <p>"...I can't forgive you for killing so many people," she admitted. "But I know that nobody's born with the goal to bomb a school. I know you got pushed to that point, and I'm sorry. I hope... that all of you can rest easy."</p>
      <p>Rian stayed kneeling before the grave, hanging his head. Sadie placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing him affectionately, before turning and heading back to her grandmother, who was appearing to have a very animated conversation with a gravestone some ways away beneath an apple tree.</p>
      <p>After a few more minutes, Rian stood up, glancing back at Sadie, before back at the grave. "I forgive you." He told it, before he too walked away.</p>
      <p>When Rian approached Sadie, she was standing beside Wammy, who'd wrapped up her conversation. Rian didn't need to be a detective to conclude that the gravestone she'd been speaking to was that of his own grandmother.</p>
      <p>'<em>In loving memory of Alexis Dasterian. A loving wife, mother, and friend.'</em></p>
      <p>He smiled down at the stone, before looking at the other two. "Let's head to grandma's favorite spot on the beach before the day ends." He suggested. Wammy's face lit up with excitement. "Oh, what a wonderful idea! You're so much like her." She pinched his cheek affectionately before they returned to Rian's car.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>"Well, because the school has a... a... you know, a gaping hole in it, uh... they're gonna transfer you to Grace High School." Rian's father told him as the teen entered his home, Sadie at his heels. "Oh... really?" Sadie asked. "I'm moving in with my mom down in Voxis. I was sorta hoping Rian would come with me..."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Your mom has plenty of mouths to feed. A teenage boy might be a little much for her." Rian's dad replied. He was a big guy, like Rian, but unlike his son, he had an equally big beer belly. He wasn't a drunk, per say, but he definitely could do without a bottle or two every now and then. He was balding and had a spruce mustache that covered pretty much his whole mouth.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Dad's right. I don't want to burden Gwen." Rian agreed, and Sadie shrugged. "Damn. That... really sucks." There was a moment of silence, before Rian's dad spoke up. "...you know, I was offered a really good job down in Voxis some time ago. I didn't take it because we'd have to move and I'd have had to pull you from school, but... we could always use the extra money and I could always use the extra hours."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"Are you saying you'd be okay with us moving to Voxis, too?" Rian asked, looking a bit hopeful.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"It's a possibility," Rian's dad nodded. "I mean, it's a great opportunity. Would be a shame to split you two rascals up, anyways."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sadie tried not to get her hopes up, but she was practically giddy at that moment. She'd already been prepared for the worst, but if Rian and his dad moved to Voxis too, then everything would be okay.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I think I'd like that." Rian nodded. Partly, it was because he didn't want to separate from Sadie, they'd been a caring thorn in each other's sides for as long as they could remember, but also because he was struggling with staying. With the memory of it all. It was all a little too much to bear, and he wanted to go. Be anywhere else.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"I'll see if that job still wants me, then." Rian's dad smiled, pulling out a flip phone.</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>After a night's rest, that was easily much better than it had been the previous night, Sadie and Rian agreed to find Stain's parents and offer their condolences. First, they had to figure out who he really was and where he'd lived, so they whipped out Sadie's yearbook from last year she'd left under her bed, and quickly found Stain.</p>
      <p>"His name was Caul Stone?" Sadie frowned. Rian scoffed. "Wow. Kind of a badass name combo, you know? Sucks that Stain replaced it..."</p>
      <p>The pair then checked through the phonebook for the Stone family, and found three. So their miniature adventure began. The first place they arrived at definitely wasn't Stain's home. It was occupied by an elderly woman with a million cats. The second home they stopped at denied a Caul ever living there, and slammed the door in their faces. It had been a younger couple with a screaming baby and two barking dogs.</p>
      <p>"Guess we got one place left to check." Rian told his best friend.</p>
      <p>"I'm nervous," Sadie admitted. "The word on the street was that his home life was almost just as bad as his school life."</p>
      <p>"The street? You mean that spot by the stairs where you used to get all your gossip from Kiley and Marisa?" Rian gave a small smile, to which Sadie nudged him.</p>
      <p>"Hey, they were reliable," she defended.</p>
      <p>The two found themselves at the third house a few minutes later, both of them having a wrenching feeling in their stomachs.</p>
      <p>"You sure you wanna do this?"</p>
      <p>"We really should," Sadie nodded. "You?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah, I'm sure."</p>
      <p>With that, they approached the home. This was in the rundown side of Savory, full of drug deals, drive-by shootings, and apparently rabid squirrels. The house in question appeared dilapidated, with grimed windows that were either cracked or missing completely. The side paneling appeared to be falling apart, and the roof had a sinking slope to it, where a small pond had formed.</p>
      <p>"Whelp..." Rian raised a fist, and knocked on the door. There was a booming bark, and after a few seconds, the front door opened after the clicks of several locks being undone. It cracked open and a wild eye stared back at them. "Got the stuff?" A man's voice croaked at them. "Um... did a Caul Stone used to live here?" Rian asked. The eye glared at him for a moment, before responding. "That little punk is better off dead. If you don't got any blue sky-"</p>
      <p>"MARLON! IS IT THE DEALER!?" A woman's voice screeched inside the house. The eye rolled itself, before disappearing. "SHUT UP WOMAN!"</p>
      <p>Rian and Sadie shared a look together, eyes wide, before the eye reappeared. "Get out of here. Don't show your faces here ever again." The door slammed, and the sounds of locks clicking back into place sounded.</p>
      <p>"Well... guess the rumors were right." Rian muttered, shuddering slightly. "I feel sick just being here. Let's... let's go." Sadie silently agreed, and the two turned to leave, before a man stumbled around the side of the building. He was short and fat, with a long, thick, grey beard and equally long hair. "You's askin' 'bout's Caul?" He asked, huffing slightly.</p>
      <p>"Get behind me," Rian whispered to Sadie, but he was pretty awful at whispering. The man shook his head.</p>
      <p>"Nah, nah, I'm not like that," he assured them. "Trust me. I'm Caul's uncle, even got the photos in my wallet to prove's it..." he patted his pants. "Can never be too sure I have my wallet on me in this neighborhood, though," he added with a dry chuckle.</p>
      <p>"Do you trust this guy?" Sadie whispered to Rian, who only shrugged, not taking his eyes off of the man.</p>
      <p>"C'mon, I'm curious. Why's you askin'?"</p>
      <p>"We uh... wanted to offer our condolences." Rian stated. Stain's uncle widened his eyes in surprise. "I... tha's mighty... nobody's done that." He stated, and they could see his eyes begin to well with tears. "Caul... he was like the son I always wanted. Better than tha'." He shook his head. "You's was friends o' his?"</p>
      <p>"Not exactly," Sadie shook her head. "We saw him around school a whole lot, though."</p>
      <p>"Aye, I hear's ya," the man nodded. "Y'know, a few friends woulda done's that kid a whole lotta good," he quickly added. "Was always talkin' 'bout how the kids at school were pickin's on him..."</p>
      <p>Rian scratched his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I uh... I feel really bad about the whole thing."</p>
      <p>"Jus' don' go pickin' on helpless kids wit autism and you'll do good to honor his memory." Caul's uncle told them. "He was always comin' to me fer advice... I always told him to keep his head on, be himself, and one day, people would come to like 'im." He paused, his gaze darkening. "He always did righ' by that, 'till he started spendin' time wit' tha' one kid."</p>
      <p>"I didn't know Caul had any friends." Sadie spoke up, and the kid's uncle shook his head. "Wasn' no friend 'o his. Bad influence. My Caul started turnin' hateful and cruel... then that thing happened..." He paused. "Caul was a good boy. My good boy. I never woulda thought in a million years he coulda done what he done, but... that wasn't my Caul who killed all those poor kids."</p>
      <p>"...I'm sorry for asking, sir, I know it must be hard for you to think about... but can you tell us anything else about the bad influence your son was hanging out with?" Sadie asked. Had someone else convinced Caul to do what he'd done?</p>
      <p>"I don't rememba when it started," the man began. "He was goin' into the backyard at night's, every night's. He'd be talkin' in a whisper. I neva got a good look at the other boy, he'd always be just out'sa my sight... bu' I can tell you's... tha' boy had golden eyes. Shined like golden nuggets in the nigh'. He twisted poor Caul's mind... an' now it's too late to save 'im."</p>
      <p>Rian and Sadie shared a look, thinking the same thing. The only person they knew of with golden eyes, who apparently transferred from their school to Voxis after the incident. Jason Clever. "We're sorry for your loss, sir." Rian bowed his head. "I'm sure he was a great kid. I wish we could have taken the time to get to know him better." Sadie added, and Caul's uncle wiped his tears from his eyes. "Aw... you's sweet kids. Thank you's... so much. It means a lo' to hear that."</p>
      <p>The man now sported an award-winning smile that made Sadie and Rian both feel a little warm inside. They waved farewell, but as the duo were returning to the car...</p>
      <p>"Okay, please tell me you're thinking the same thing I am," Sadie blinked.</p>
      <p>"Jason Clever. It's not fair to say it was him just yet, but... it's a bit suspicious that we never actually saw Jason at Garden, even though everyone says that's where he transferred from."</p>
      <p>"Maybe we could ask him if he knows anything, at least," Sadie shrugged.</p>
      <p>"Yeah... you know, I think I remember Frisk saying that he gave her the creeps." Rian added. "I don't want to pin the kid, he seems nice, but... maybe Frisk's onto something there."</p>
      <p>"Didn't Terrence mention yesterday that he kept seeing things the other day that he thought was Jason?" Sadie asked, and Rian frowned as he got into the car. "...Let's wait until we get back to the others to talk about it."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. It's all a little strange, but we'll be able to piece it together a bit more once we meet up with the others again." Rian nodded. "Y'know, come to think of it, Gregory's the only one who hasn't been paranoid about Jason."</p>
      <p>"Yeah... it seems to just be our friend group, minus him."</p>
      <p>"In his defense, he mostly spends his time reading when he's with us." Rian added with a shrug. "So... anyway... I think I feel a lot better now. About the whole Stain thing. Well, I guess it's the Caul thing..."</p>
      <p>"Yeah. Let's make a pact," Sadie clapped her hands together. "From now on... no more calling him Stain. We'll call him Caul."</p>
      <p>Rian nodded. "It might take a bit to get used to," he admitted. "But... that feels like the right thing to do."</p>
      <p>With that, they left Caul's house, driving off to return to Wammy's.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>
        <em>"C'mon, don't make me say it again."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Rian stared at his teammate in awe as they stood half naked in the locker room, having just finished practice. "For real? I mean... you usually get a real kick out of torturing Stain."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>James averted his gaze, rubbing his arm. There appeared to be a series of fresh bruises along the limbs, including a freshly cut bottom lip that he definitely didn't get from football practice. "I-I know, man, I just..." He let out a heavy sigh. "I never really thought about it before. I used to just do it because it... made me feel better. Like I was venting my anger, but..." At this, he finally looked Rian in the eye. "All it's doing is turning me into my old man, Rian. I can't- I won't be like him."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"He give you those?" Rian asked, and James folded his arms in an attempt to hide the bruises. "Doesn't matter." He replied curtly. "I feel awful right now, man, okay? I'm... done. Alright? Done. With messing with Stain. My dad was an asshole his whole life, and I don't want to do the same thing. Tomorrow, I think I'll apologize to Stain."</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"He probably won't forgive you." Rian pointed out, and James shrugged, slinging a towel over his shoulder. "It'll be a start, I guess. Maybe earn me a few brownie points with Sadie." He winked, and Rian went stone-faced. Noticing this, James' grin slid off his face. "Sorry, man. Bad joke. See you tomorrow?"</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>"See you tomorrow."</em>
      </p>
      <hr/>
      <p>The rest of the day was spent with Wammy out on the town, visiting some of their old favorite spots, eating dinner at Gertrude's Diner, which was unique to Savory, and opened up back when Wammy and Alexis had been kids. They spent the night driving through the town, stopping for some mini golf, before returning home.</p>
      <p>The morning after was the best one yet. Rian and Sadie awoke, feeling refreshed. The memory of what had happened still hurt, but they'd addressed their regret and guilt, and come to terms with it.</p>
      <p>They said their goodbyes to Wammy, who demanded they come by in a few months again, to which they agreed to, before they were returning home, leaving Savory behind once again.</p>
      <p>"So. Good weekend?" Sadie asked. "Yeah." Rian nodded, smiling, satisfaction in his voice. "Glad I asked you to take me then. I think we both needed this."</p>
      <p>"Yeah. I guess we did, huh? It feels like a whole building has been lifted off my shoulders." Rian continued to smile, unable to contain it.</p>
      <p>"Same here. I haven't felt this good in a loooong time," Sadie admitted, putting her feet up on the dash, closing one eye.</p>
      <p>"Hey, Rian?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah?"</p>
      <p>"I spy... something blue."</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>After some stops along the way back to Voxis, and a short detour to see a traveling carnival, at which they befriended a baby elephant, they finally arrived home. The sun had since sunk beneath the horizon, and Voxis was slowing down for the night.</p>
      <p>When they passed by Sadie's house, the girl frowned, turning to Rian. "Earth to Ri. You missed my place."</p>
      <p>"I know. I just... wanted to stop somewhere first." He replied, grinning uncontrollably. She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Okay. I'm curious to see what you're gonna do."</p>
      <p>They drove into the city, pushing through very little traffic before finally coming to a very familiar curb. They were parked across the street from Grillby's. Sadie looked at the bar &amp; grill, which was closed by now, before looking at Rian, who was looking at the building intensely, before turning forward and turning off the car. "Okay..." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Here we go."</p>
      <p>He opened the door and got out, crossing the street to the building and promptly knocking on the door. Through the door, he saw somebody approach, and open it. It was Fuku.</p>
      <p>"Oh, hey Rian." She smiled at him. "You're a little late, unfortunately. We're closed."</p>
      <p>"Oh, I know." Rian replied, folding his arms. "I just uh... I came because I wanted to... ask you something." He bit the inside of his cheek as Fuku blinked, before she leaned against the door. "What's up?" She asked expectantly. "Well, you know, I um..." He wrung his hands, taking another deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like to... be my date to Homecoming?"</p>
      <p>"Oh... I had a feeling you were gonna ask me sooner or later," Fuku admitted, her cheeks turning a darker shade of green. "I'd... love to be your date, actually."</p>
      <p>"Wait... really? I thought you figured I was totally awkward and lame," Rian paused, before his face broke out into a big grin.</p>
      <p>"That's how I could tell you liked me back," Fuku said simply, a smile dancing on her face. "...also, your friend is recording." Rian glanced back to the car, and felt his cheeks heat up when he saw Sadie waggling her eyebrows, phone held up to record.</p>
      <p>Rian smirked. "Oh well. She's probably just as excited as I am about it. She's kinda been trying to get me to muster up the courage for this for a while..."</p>
      <p>"Oh. Really?" Fuku smirked lightly, staring up at Rian. "Well uh... thanks. For asking me."</p>
      <p>Rian nodded. "Yeah, me too." He said stupidly, before clearing his throat. "I-I mean... yeah..."</p>
      <p>"Maybe we can... hang out tomorrow after school?" Fuku asked, and she seemed to glow a little brighter. "You know, like- get to know each other. I can ask my dad for the day off."</p>
      <p>"Yeah. Yeah! Sure, no problem! I think that'd be awesome!" Rian stated enthusiastically, and Fuku shone even brighter. "Cool! I'll uh... I gotta finish up in here so... see you tomorrow?"</p>
      <p>"Yeah." The boy nodded, and they stared at each other for a long moment before Fuku awkwardly waved at him, and retreated back inside. When she was gone, Rian pumped a fist in the air. "Boo yah!" He cheered, racing back over to Sadie. "I did it!"</p>
      <p>"Oh yeah, I know you did," Sadie replied, already smirking deviously. "Frisk says congratulations, and Terrence says 'so prud.'"</p>
      <p>"Prud?" Rian asked, climbing into the driver's seat, still giddy over Fuku accepting.</p>
      <p>"I think he spelled 'proud' wrong," Sadie chuckled. "And y'know what? I'm proud of you too, big guy."</p>
      <p>Rian looked over at Grillby's as he started the car, and felt a little light on his feet- or in this case, on his rear. "Thanks, bestie. I... think I'm proud too." With one last grin to himself, he pulled back onto the road, heading for Sadie's house.</p>
    </div>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. "The Choice"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gregory is forced to finally make a decision.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="xcontrast">
<p></p><div>
<p></p><div><p><strong>DISCLAIMER</strong>: This episode has a short torture scene. If that's something you don't want in your life, then don't read this episode. Or at least the middle portion of it.</p>
<hr/><p>"-use substitution by noticing the first equation can be rewritten as y=13−3x and substituting it into the second equation..." Gregory muttered underneath his breath, biting the eraser of his pencil for a moment, before stooping over and beginning to write on a slip of paper before him full of algebraic equations. This wasn't homework, nor schoolwork. He'd already finished all that he could on that. Besides, he didn't have an algebra class this year. This work was simply to pass the time. He was bored out of his mind being cooped up in his room since his grounding, but it would end soon, and he'd be hanging out with his friends once again.</p><p>So he continued, writing down equations and solving them for his own entertainment, before he paused, realizing he'd eaten his eraser. It wasn't as though that mattered, he never needed to erase his work.</p><p>A sudden knock at his door made him jump, and he practically threw his pencil across the room. "Yeah?" He called through the door, diving under his bed to collect his pencil. "Gregory, come outside. There's someone here to see you." His mother's voice came in, and Greg stood up, dropping the pencil he'd just collected, feeling his blood run cold. His immediate thought was that it was the Messiah, finally staying true to their words. However, when he left his room and turned to see the front door where his mother was standing, the door open, he felt relief wash over him. "Dad!" He yelled, racing forward and throwing his arms around his dad.</p><p>Karen Beatrice, Gregory's mother, looked a lot like him. Or vice versa. She was short, thin, and seedy-looking with thick glasses and mousy brown hair that extended over her shoulders. Daniel Favian, Gregory's father, was very tall, and very well-built, with long windswept light brown hair that usually hung stylishly in his eyes. He had strong, angled features, and typically wore button-up shirts with the top button open, revealing a bit of his hairy chest. "Hey, dude!" Daniel grinned down at his son, before looking up at his ex-wife. "Dunno what you mean, he looks perfectly fine to me."</p><p>"Just have your day together and bring him back before nightfall." Karen replied with a roll of her eyes, and slammed the door. "Please take me far from this prison." Gregory said to his father, who chuckled. "Can do, little man. Sissy is in the car waiting for us, so let's go."</p><p>The two approached Daniel's car, a sleek looking black Mustang with a silver cobra above each license plate. In the backseat, Gregory could see his little sister, Lisa- in the divorce, his mother had gotten custody of Greg, while his father had gotten custody of Lisa. There were often times when Gregory wished that both him and his sister had been placed in the care of their father. His mother wasn't the greatest caretaker. He couldn't remember the last time she'd made a genuine effort to bond with him.</p><p>"Say hey to big bro," Daniel told Lisa as he opened the driver's side door, while Greg got in the passenger's side- he never got to ride up front with his mom; that spot was usually reserved for her boyfriend of the week.</p><p>"Bubba!" Lisa smiled brightly at him as he got in. Like both their parents, she had brown hair, though hers was thick and a little poofy. While Gregory and his parents had colored eyes signature to their SOULs, Lisa, much like many people, was born without a traited SOUL. Her eyes were auburn, and very large and wide as she stared at her older brother. He smiled back at. "Hey sissy." He greeted, and she giggled at him.</p><p>Despite the fact that Lisa and Gregory didn't spend as much time together as the average siblings, they were still close. Every time the two were reunited, Greg could see Lisa's eyes light up with excitement to spend a day with her big bro.</p><p>It was nice to feel loved.</p><p>"Alright. Where to?" Daniel asked, his signature grin plastered onto his face as he looked over at his son. "Minerva's Garden? I know you love their tofu. Maybe we could go to the pool before they close? It's a nice day out, after all. Or... how about we cruise around town and pick up some hot chicks."</p><p>Gregory rolled his eyes in humor. "Daaad." He groaned, making Daniel chuckle brightly. "Right, right. Not with Lisa here. So what'll it be, little man?"</p><p>"Hm... well... actually, there's a place I've been wanting to show you. It's sort of become the hangout spot for me and my friends."</p><p>"Oh, really? It's appropriate for Lisa, isn't it? Can't be taking her to any of your biker clubs, man."</p><p>Greg rolled his eyes, but he was still grinning. His dad's sense of humor was nothing like his, but he still enjoyed it.</p><p>"It's a place called Grillby's. Frisk introduced it to us a while ago."</p><p>"Grillby's..." Daniel frowned, thinking for a moment. "Monster-owned, right?"</p><p>"That's the one." Greg nodded. He provided his father with the address, and they were on their way, Daniel turning on the cd player to play some kids song that he and Lisa sang along to, Greg only joining in after being convinced by his dad.</p><p>"So your friends are here right now?" Daniel asked as they pulled up to a free spot along the curb next to Grillby's. "Probably not." Greg admitted. "Terrence started some kind of kung fu training or something. Frisk has been spending the weekend with her dad, and the other two in our friend group are visiting family in Savory City I think."</p><p>"Glad to know your circle of friends is expanding." Daniel stated as he got Lisa out of the car.</p><p>"Yeah..." Gregory nodded, but admittedly, whenever he thought about his friend group, he got a little bummed out. After all, Rian and Sadie had each other, and it was the same deal with Frisk and Terrence. Being a fifth wheel wasn't much fun, and he really wished that he had someone he was close to like that. His friends always made a good effort to include him, but it wasn't the same.</p><p>And on top of that, Greg also had his mother to deal with... and, well, the Messiah.</p><p>"Something wrong, kiddo?" Daniel asked, holding Lisa's hand as they made their way to the bar &amp; grill. Gregory shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind with... mom and all that." Daniel nodded in understanding as he opened the door. "Yeah. She's uh... a tough one. You know, she used to be a real rascal back in the day." He told his son with a grin, holding the door open for him. "She and I would sneak out during gym class and play strip poker underneath the bleachers."</p><p>"Visuals, dad." Greg replied, shuddering slightly as Daniel laughed.</p><p>"Just figured you should know. Your mom hasn't always been the woman you know her as."</p><p>Greg could actually remember a time when his mom wasn't so... well, distant and cold to him. It was before she and his dad had gotten divorced. They'd never told him what had really happened between them, and the poor purple-eyed boy had just been left to assume they'd grown apart.</p><p>"Huh. I think I like this place." Daniel nodded, placing his hands on his hips and looking around. "Real homey. Feels kinda like the bars I used to visit in college." His eyes traveled to Grillby, who was currently cleaning a shot glass. "And I'm guessing that right there is the man himself."</p><p>"Yep." Greg nodded. "His daughter Fuku works here too. He's also got some regulars, namely Sans the skeleton."</p><p>"Like the skeleton on TV?"</p><p>"That's his little brother."</p><p>"Ah. My bad, I haven't really been... keeping up with the news on monsterkind," Daniel admitted.</p><p>"That's fine," Greg nodded. "Uh... just know that you shouldn't ask Grillby for water."</p><p>"Noted," Daniel chuckled. "Lisa, do you want a table or a booth?"</p><p>"Booth!" Lisa jumped up and down excitedly, looking around at all the unfamiliar monsters around. There were some humans too, more so than usual. It would appear Grillby's business was steadily growing.</p><p>They were quick to slip into a vacated booth, and in no time at all, Fuku had approached their table. "Oh, hi Greg!" She greeted. "This is your family, right? No chance Rian is with you, is he?"</p><p>"Er- no." Greg shook his head. "About Rian, I mean. Yes about this being my family." He seemed a little embarrassed as Fuku offered them menus, and Daniel indulged himself in the choices. "I'll be back in a moment once you know what you want." Fuku told them, and hurried off to a table where nachos had just been spilled all over the ground beside it.</p><p>"She seems like a nice girl." Daniel noted, staring at the burger options. "Out of my league." Greg replied with a shrug. "Besides, she and Rian have a thing for each other."</p><p>"Is that so?" Daniel raised an eyebrow, continuing to examine his menu. "Are there any girls you have a thing for?"</p><p>"Uh... well, not really," Greg admitted. He'd had a bit of a crush on Frisk before she and Terrence had started going out, but he was over that now, more or less. He didn't really have the energy to be crushing on girls with everything going on, anyways.</p><p>"C'mon. My son's gotta have game." Greg's dad smirked, setting down the menu. "I like games." Lisa butted in matter-of-factly. "I like Dos."</p><p>"I just... I'm focusing on school." Greg replied. "Don't really have time for other stuff."</p><p>"Alright, alright, I get it," Daniel chuckled. "How're your grades doing? All A's, I'm guessing."</p><p>"A-pluses," Gregory corrected. He could see how proud his dad was the moment he said it- another difference between his parents. His mom really didn't care if he got good grades or not.</p><p>"How'd I get such a smart kid?" Daniel laughed. "Heaven knows you didn't get it from your mom or me. We barely scraped by in high school."</p><p>"I have A plus too." Lisa interjected, and Greg couldn't help but smile at her. "You better." He joked. "My teacher said so!" Lisa announced, puffing her chest out proudly. "Even in music!"</p><p>"Well, I guess you have two smart kids," Gregory told Daniel with a smile.</p><p>"Guess I do." Daniel grinned back, before Fuku returned. "Know what you'll be having?" She asked. "Uh, yeah. I think this burger sounds really yummy, so I'll take one. And uh... a grilled cheese for the little one, with two root beers."</p><p>Fuku noted it down, before heading off. "She didn't ask you what you wanted." Daniel frowned, and Greg shrugged. "I'm kind of a regular. She knows what I like."</p><p>"You must come here a lot," Daniel gave Greg a nod, to which the boy just shrugged.</p><p>"Yeah, I guess so. It's getting kinda popular, usually there's a lot less people in here."</p><p>"Maybe you and your friends made it look so cool that everyone else started trying it too," Daniel joked.</p><p>"My friends, sure."</p><p>Daniel stared at his son for a moment, clearly hating how the kid kept putting himself down, but said nothing, knowing it wasn't much use to address it. "So... your brother got the job." He stated. Greg perked up. "Tristan's a firefighter now?"</p><p>"Oh, no, no, the other job."</p><p>"Oh. Uh... what was it?" Greg asked. "History teacher." Daniel answered. "Apparently he's doing pretty good. He's only an assistant teacher right now or whatever."</p><p>"Oh, that's cool," Greg said. Tristan had had his hopes set on being a firefighter the last time they'd spoken... but a teaching job wasn't too bad either. Hopefully his brother would be alright.</p><p>"Speaking of which," Daniel continued, "I think he mentioned that he was hoping to get a job in Voxis soon."</p><p>Greg paled. "Oh... uh... why?"</p><p>"To be with his little bro of course!" Daniel grinned, lightly slugging Greg's shoulder, who only slumped back. "Uh... yeah."</p><p>"Here's your food." Fuku arrived just a second later, expertly carrying three plates and three drinks. Her balance was incredible. Once Fuku had gone, and Lisa was tearing into her grilled cheese like a wild animal, Daniel frowned at Greg's drink. "Were you just kidding about the water thing?"</p><p>"Oh, no, Grillby hates dealing with water. Fuku's fine with it, though. Usually." Greg replied, honestly not really feeling all that hungry as he stared down at his burger.</p><p>"...are you feeling alright, bud?" Daniel asked, obviously catching on that something was eating at Greg. The boy wasn't the most talkative in general, but something else was going on right now...</p><p>"Yeah, just not that hungry," Gregory admitted, ignoring Lisa as she continued to shred through her grilled cheese. "Sorry."</p><p>"That's okay. Still thinking about mom?"</p><p>"Uh..." Greg opened his mouth, leaving it hanging stupidly open. The answer was 'no'. Or at least a partial 'yes'. He was just having an off day, he guessed. He always had his mom problems to worry about, and it wasn't like getting third or fifth wheeled was exactly new to him, but it still bothered him. Then there was the whole issue of the Messiah hanging over him, as it had since he'd returned from Unitropolis. They wanted him to be a part of it and he had this terrible feeling he couldn't shake that their patience for him was wearing thin, and sooner or later, they'd come for him.</p><p>"Earth to Greggy!" Lisa's voice broke the silence, snapping Greg out of his Messiah-induced trance. He looked at his younger sister, and shook his head.</p><p>"N-No, it's not about mom," he assured Daniel. "I just... was thinking about school," he replied. "Y'know, I... there's this university that really has their eye on me..."</p><p>"Lightway? I know. I took you up there, remember?" Daniel asked, and Greg shook his head. "No, uh... a different one. It's... pretty obscure. I've heard some things about it, and I don't think I like it very much, but they seem to have mom convinced to send me off there. I uh... don't really want to go."</p><p>"Huh. What's this school like?"</p><p>"It's... really shady," Gregory admitted. "There's this one professor in particular that's visited a few times. He isn't taking no for an answer, and um... I'm kinda worried."</p><p>"Why would your mom want you to take something like that over Lightway?" Daniel frowned, folding his arms.</p><p>"I dunno." Greg replied earnestly. "They just seem to have her convinced."</p><p>"Well, I'll talk some sense into-"</p><p>"NO!" Greg blurted out, before catching himself, and lowering his voice. "Er- no. It's okay. I can convince her myself." He wasn't exactly keen on his dad getting involved in the Messiah business, he'd just been trying to look for some kind of advice, but his father wasn't exactly that kind of person.</p><p>"Greg," Daniel raised both eyebrows, mouth curling into a small frown. "If your mother is pressuring you to make a life choice like this that you really don't want to make, I need to speak to her about it."</p><p>"I can do it myself, I promise," Greg pleaded. "Please don't talk to mom about it, just trust me."</p><p>Daniel stared at his son for a moment, before shrugging, moving almost exactly the same as Greg did. "Alright. I'll trust you. But if things don't go your way I'm intervening."</p><p>"Alright." Greg was fine with that. For now. He doubted he'd be getting his way with the Messiah anyway. "Bubba. I want your burger." Lisa announced, staring hungrily at his uneaten food. Without a word, he split the burger in half and handed her a side, before silently indulging in his half, though just barely.</p>
<hr/><p>"Okay. Her."</p><p>They were driving down the road, headed for the golf course, having decided to get some golfing in. Lisa wasn't particularly thrilled about it. They were passing by a group of girls walking down the sidewalk, and Greg flushed, sinking in his seat. "Dad. That's Tiffany Woodrow. She's like, the most popular girl in school. I basically don't exist to her."</p><p>"Okay. Her best friend." Daniel suggested. "Popular girls usually have surprisingly nice friends. Sometimes."</p><p>"How about we just go golf and forget about my love life." Greg suggested.</p><p>"If you insist," Daniel shrugged. "But if I can offer you some fatherly advice... you really should start making more of an effort toward girls," he told his son, giving him a smile. "I mean, being good with the ladies is in your genes, thanks to your old man, after all."</p><p>Greg forced himself not to smile. "I'm too shy," he said simply.</p><p>"You can work through it," Daniel assured his son. "It's easier than you think. Talking to girls is like having a normal conversation... but with a girl."</p><p>"I <em>have </em>normal conversations with girls. Frisk and Sadie are two of my best friends." Greg replied curtly. "Okay. But there's usually more flirting involved when you're interested." Daniel added. "When you see a girl you like, just walk up to her, flash your pearly whites and say hey. Maybe give 'em a little wink. Chicks dig winks."</p><p>"That only works for football players. No girl's gonna 'dig it' if the class nerd winks at her."</p><p>"Alright, time to shut down the pity party. Greg, you're a handsome boy. Most girls couldn't care less if you're sporty or not. Worrying about being too nerdy for girls won't get you anywhere- you have to start trying. Next time you see a girl you think you like, why not just try to talk it up with her? It'll do a lot for your confidence."</p><p>"Ah hah." Greg laughed dryly. "Yeah, no. I'm not ready for that sorta thing."</p><p>"You asked me to trust you, and I did. Now I'm asking you to trust me." Daniel pointed out, and Greg let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll... I'll consider it."</p><p>"That's all I ask." Daniel smiled. "So to bring back the old topic, you sure you absolutely have zero interest? You're not crushing on anyone? Not even anime girls like all the other boys your age?"</p><p>"Dad!" Greg's cheeks heated up. "No, I'm not crushing on any anime girls. That would just be... weird."</p><p>"You sure? The kids these days are apparently calling them... waifus? It seems to be a pretty big deal."</p><p>Greg's face was red with embarrassment. "Dad, you need to spend less time on anime websites."</p><p>"I read about it on Facelog." Daniel replied as they rounded a bend, nearing the golf course. "Well, then you need to spend less time on Facelog." Greg replied, hiding his face.</p><p>Once they finally arrived at the golf course, and after they'd all gotten out of the car, Daniel took in a deep breath of fresh air. "Man, I used to love coming here. Lincoln Park is the best golf course for... I dunno, I definitely don't know any better ones. Oh! Look!" He pointed at a couple of young women walking down to the first hole. "They look around your age. Practice my lessons, dear son. Make me proud."</p><p>"Daaaad..." Greg groaned, staring out at the girls. He'd be stupid not to admit that they were rather pretty, but he was certain they were college students. No chance he was going to start flirting with college girls.</p><p>...yet.</p><p>"Can I at least pick who I flirt with for myself?" Gregory requested, earning a shrug from his father. "I don't see why not. As long as you don't chicken out, of course."</p><p>"I won't," Greg stated firmly, looking around the golf course to try and find someone that was a little closer to his age, considering he mostly saw old white guys. He noticed another pair of girls, a little out of the way, but he did recognize them. Those two sat near him in second period- they were pretty nice, so he let his hopes go up, just a little.</p><p>"Okay. Them." Greg pointed. "That's your girlfriend!?" Lisa cried out. "What- no. Shush." Greg hastily replied, flushing once again as Daniel chuckled. "Alright. You go talk to them and I'll get our equipment. Come on, Lisa."</p><p>"Aw, but I wanna meet Greggy's girlfriend!"</p><p>Greg tried to recompose himself, praying that the two hadn't heard Lisa's shouting. That would be humiliating. He took deep breaths as he began to walk over to them, swallowing the growing lump in his throat...</p><p>"Oh, hi Greg!" one of the girls- Pauleen, as Greg recalled- greeted. He was a bit surprised she knew his name.</p><p>"Hey. Uh... didn't expect to see you here." Greg greeted. He'd talked to Pauleen and her friend, Georgia, before. The two girls were best friends and looked a lot alike. It was easy to assume they were twins, even though they weren't even siblings. They were both short, with fluffy, curly auburn hair, and round faces with large eyes. The differences between the two were eye colors- as Pauleen had green eyes and Georgia had brown eyes -and their hair length -as Pauleen had short hair and Georgia had long hair.</p><p>"I didn't realize you got out much." Georgia greeted back.</p><p>"Oh- well, you know, I'm just here with my family. I don't go golfing much..." Gregory swallowed, trying to think of something smooth to say. "B-But if I'd realized you two would be here, I would have started coming a long time ago," he managed to say, instantly regretting his words... but to his surprise, the girls didn't start laughing at him. In fact, Georgia was smiling, a hint of pink on her cheeks. Greg was ready to fall over, astonished that that had worked even a little bit.</p><p>"That's sweet," Pauleen smiled too. "Maybe we'll see you out there, if you can catch up to us."</p><p>"Yeah... uh... maybe I will." Greg scratched the back of his head, barely able to recover from the awe of successfully delivering a smooth line. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe this was in his genes. "I'll uh... I'll catch you later. Here with my dad and little sister."</p><p>"See you out there, Greg." The girls said together, waving after him as he retreated back to his father, who was currently trying to convince Lisa that she'd be better with a smaller club.</p><p>"But I want to use the normal one!" Lisa frowned, even though the normal-sized club was taller than her. "Okay, I'll bite. Lisa, if you can get one ball in the hole with the normal club, I'll let you use it. But if it's too hard for you, you have to switch," Daniel offered.</p><p>"Hmph. Fine, daddy." Lisa replied, and happily took the longer club as Greg approached. "So. How'd little me do?" Daniel asked, turning to his son, who awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh..." He straightened his glasses. "It was... well... easy." He admitted.</p><p>"Really? You sure you didn't chicken out?" Daniel teased, to which Greg shook his head. "I'm just kidding, I saw you talk to them while Lisa was stockpiling clubs."</p><p>"It was weird. They actually knew my name, and they didn't laugh at me," Greg stated, looking more confused than anything.</p><p>"Well, son, that's because people do notice you. Like I said, you're a handsome young man, and you're hella smart- pardon my french. I'm sure you have a lot of admirers you've never even considered." Daniel told him, and Greg blinked. He'd... honestly never thought of that. Could it be possible that girls around the school liked him in a way similar to how girls fawned over Terrence or Rian? Well... probably not that much, but... it was a hopeful thought.</p><p>"Thanks, dad. I couldn't have done it without you."</p><p>"You <em>wouldn't </em>have done it without me," Daniel corrected, handing Greg a club, the same size and shape as the one Lisa held. The little girl seemed to be struggling with her own, forced to hold it with both hands.</p><p>"Now let's go golfing."</p>
<hr/><p>The rest of the day went fairly great, and Greg found himself enjoying it. He hadn't taken the time to enjoy anything in quite a while. His dad always had that effect on him. Finally, however, the day was winding down and coming to an end, and before long, he was back home, hugging his dad and little sister goodbye. Greg couldn't help but notice that his mom hadn't even bothered to see her only daughter as he watched his dad drive off.</p><p>Once he was in his room, he plopped down unto his bed, pulling out his phone to notice the group chat was currently active. He opened it up, scrolling through various messages before he reached the end.</p><p>
        <em>Sadie: Rian finally did it!</em>
      </p><p>Attached was a video. When Greg watched it, he found Rian standing at the entrance to Grillby's, speaking to Fuku, the two staring at each other pretty intensely as they spoke. He backed out of the video, looking at the next texts.</p><p>
        <em>Frisk: Congratulations!</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: So prud.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: you guys should see him, he's so full of himself right now.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: Smug boi.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Frisk: Now we just need to get Greg a date to Homecoming.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: Guys, I think I'm just gonna go by myself.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Frisk: That's no fun, you should have a date.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: I dunno, F. I'm going by myself, and I know I'm gonna have fun.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: Greg should have a date. He needs a pretty girl in his life.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: he already has 2?</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: One he can date</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: oh lol</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: Seriously. It's fine.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: C'mon, dude. I'm sure anybody would be happy to be your date. You're awesome!</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: I can agree. well, when your nose isn't stuffed in a book.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: Not helping.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: what? It's a helpful tip!</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Frisk: Greg. We're gonna find you a date. And you can't stop us.</em>
      </p><p>Greg couldn't help but smirk lightly at that, before letting out a sigh.</p><p>
        <em>Greg: Alright. You win.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: I'm so happy.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: You can like... set up some blind dates for me or something.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: that's actually a really good idea.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Frisk: I'm sure I could convince some of the girls at school to do it.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Terrence: And I know an alleyway where a bunch of girls hang out. I could ask them, if they don't mug me first</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: Please don't set me up with an alleyway girl.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: why not? alleyway girls are a lot of fun at parties. used to be one, myself, back in the day.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: I'd rather go with someone from our school.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Frisk: I'm already forming a list in my head.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Greg: Anyway, I'm off to bed. I've had a pretty good day with my dad. Later.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Sadie: sleep tight, Gregerickson.</em>
      </p><p>
        <em>Rian: What'd I miss?</em>
      </p><p>Greg turned off his phone and set it down on his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling, pursing his lips, thinking about all the potential people who'd show up for a blind date with him. A part of him wanted to believe that he'd get at least three, but a larger side of him doubted he'd get any attention.</p><p>Well... except maybe he would from Pauleen or Georgia... He smirked at that thought, closing his eyes, drifting off...</p><p>A sudden rapping at his door kept him from drifting off to sleep, and he sat up with a groan. "Yes?" He called. "Come out here. I need to talk to you." His mother replied.</p><p>His mother never wanted to talk to him unless she was angry, or if she needed something from him, so Greg was already dreading this. As he rolled out of bed, he thought about what his mom could possibly want- had he forgotten to do a chore? Did she want to yell at him again for sneaking out?</p><p>Taking as much time as possible, Greg slid out of bed, set his phone on his nightstand, shuffled over to his door, and opened it. His mother was in the living room on the moth-eaten sofa that was smothered in stains. He hadn't sat on that thing in years for fear of what his mom's various boyfriends could have left on it.</p><p>"What." He sighed to his mom, who pursed her lips, staring at him for a moment. "Greg, it's... time." She stated.</p><p>"Time for... what?" Greg questioned, but he was already piecing together in his mind what this was about. She was going to try and get him to join the Messiah again- no doubt to ensure her own safety from them.</p><p>"Is it about... those people?" Gregory asked.</p><p>"You have to go with them," she stated. "There's no other choice. If you don't, they'll hurt us both."</p><p>"I can't, mom. You know I can't." Greg argued immediately. "I already told you what I'm doing. I'm not joining them. I'm fighting them."</p><p>"You CAN'T!" His mother suddenly shouted, leaping up to her feet. "You'll kill us BOTH! The Messiah are more dangerous than you think."</p><p>"I know they're plenty dangerous!" Greg shouted back. "That's why I'm going to fight them! I'll never betray my friends."</p><p>"What's more important to you?! Your life, or this delusion of being some kind of hero?!" Greg's mother demanded. "They'll just kill you, and then they'll kill me! And then they'll kill your father and your little-"</p><p>"STOP!" Greg shouted. "I won't let them do any of that! I'm not going to be a terrorist!"</p><p>"You don't have a choice. You just don't," she growled. "You are going to join the Messiah, and that is final."</p><p>"You don't choose for me," Greg said, palms sweating as he put his foot down. His mom looked like she was going to say something, but then she paled. Greg thought he'd really pissed her off- but then he turned around and followed her gaze.</p><p>Standing in the front doorway was a boy about Greg's age, with white-blonde hair and flawless golden eyes. Most people at school knew him as Jason Clever.</p><p>But Greg knew who he really was.</p><p>"You're absolutely right, Gregory," the white haired boy smiled, closing the door behind him. "She can't make this decision for you... however..." Krashna's eyes glittered in the darkness. "I'm here to make that decision much easier."</p><p>Greg's blood ran ice cold as he took a step back, raising his arms defensively, even though he had no idea what he'd do if Krashna attacked. The Messiah leader noticed this and laughed. "You couldn't kill a Froggit, let alone harm me." He scoffed, taking a few steps forward, forcing Greg to back up against a wall as he stared at the golden-eyed boy, heart racing rapidly in his chest.</p><p>"I came by tonight in hopes that you'd come to your senses," Krashna explained, his golden eyes drilling into Gregory. They were nearly the exact same height, but Greg still felt like the other boy towered over him. Cold sweat beaded at his forehead.</p><p>"Here's what's gonna happen," Krashna stated with a wicked smile. "You're going to join the Messiah, and if you don't..."</p><p>Suddenly, a torrent of golden energy manifested beside Krashna, flying over to the couch and snatching Greg's mother by the throat, lifting her up and slamming her against the wall.</p><p>"You wouldn't want your poor mother to suffer, would you? I'm giving you a chance to save not just her, but your entire family."</p><p>"...m-my entire family?" Greg swallowed, looking at his helpless mother as she struggled to breathe. "I have my subordinates ready to eliminate your father at a moment's notice," Krashna explained. "Don't think I forgot about your little sister, or your brother. Aunts, uncles, cousins... You wouldn't want to be the reason I have them all slaughtered, would you?"</p><p>Greg was horrified, heart pounding in his throat as he stared into Krashna's unblinking eyes.</p><p>"You have a choice to make, Gregory. And I've grown so terribly bored of waiting."</p><p>"I... I..." He couldn't talk. His breath was catching in his throat, his stomach twisting horribly tight. He felt his legs shaking beneath him as he stared at Krashna, feeling nothing but fear at that moment. He felt so... powerless. He could do nothing except abide by their rules. He wasn't being given a choice... his mom was right. "I... I d-don't know..." He stammered out, and Krashna seemed to get a little annoyed, staring at Gregory for a moment, before the golden arm vanished, and Greg's mom fell to the floor, clutching at her throat, gasping for breath. "I want to show you something." Krashna finally said. "It's time to break you."</p><p>Two armed men in white masks, wearing all black tactical gear, rushing in behind Krashna, marched up to Greg and seized him by his arms. The boy did nothing, frozen in fear as they shoved a bag over his head, and began to drag him out.</p><p>"Karen Favian," Krashna turned to the woman as Greg was dragged out of the house, beyond overpowered. Greg's mother, still clutching her throat, looked up at Krashna from the ground, taking in shaky breaths. "The Messiah deeply appreciates your attempts to convince your son to take our offer," Krashna smiled warmly. "That being said... you did fail, miserably, it seems. This would have been so much easier for both of us if he'd come with me willingly, don't you agree?"</p><p>"I'm... s-sorry," Karen coughed, barely capable of speaking.</p><p>"I don't make empty threats," Krashna whispered. "If Gregory is still resistant in twenty-four hours, I fully intend to have you taken out. So you should pray to all you believe in that your son values your life in the slightest. Is that understood?"</p><p>Karen only nodded, still breathing shakily. The white-haired boy stood there a moment longer...</p><p>And when she blinked, he was gone.</p>
<hr/><p>Gregory could see nothing. He could only hear. Only listen. He was thrown into the back of a car, and it drove for a long while, before it finally stopped. No words were said as he was pulled out of it, and they began leading him somewhere. He had no idea where, but he could tell they'd entered a building from the change of ground texture, and then they entered an elevator, which descended.</p><p>Once out of the elevator, he was led down winding halls until a door opened, and he was thrown into it. The door closed behind him, and he was left in total silence. After a few minutes, he tore the bag off of his head and tossed it aside. He was greeted by total darkness. They'd locked him inside of some... room. He didn't know where or why, but here he was, unable to see anything.</p><p>Gregory looked around, squinting to try and adjust his eyes to the darkness... but there was no way, especially since his glasses had gotten knocked off at some point during the whole ordeal. He began to stumble through the room, feeling along the walls for a lightswitch or something... had he been taken prisoner? Was this some kind of sick punishment?</p><p>As he found the walls, he began walking around the room, feeling about for a light switch, but came across nothing. There wasn't a single thing he could see. He couldn't even hear anything aside from his own ragged breathing. After he made what he believed to be a full circle- or square, as he was in a box-shaped room -he let his hand slide off the wall. "Think, Gregory... think..." He muttered, before recalling when Frisk and Terrence had been texting Rian and Sadie how to summon their SOULs.</p><p>What had they said, again? He needed to focus really hard on his ambitions, get in a fight, or get sprayed by turtle water, right? The latter two options were unavailable right now, but the first one...</p><p>What was important to him right now? Getting out of here and protecting his friends and family was number one on the list for sure. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about what the Messiah would do to them if Greg didn't act fast...</p><p>He closed his eyes, resulting in no difference in what he saw, trying to slow his breathing. 'I want to get out of here.' He thought to himself. 'I want to help my friends fight the Messiah.'</p><p>However, nothing happened. He was about to get frustrated, before he took a deep breath. "C'mon, Gregory. You got this." He said to himself. "I got this..."</p><p>And yet, still, no SOUL emerged. Greg was beginning to get angry at himself- why, even when his family's lives were in danger, was he unable to come through for them? This all felt like a disgusting dream. He was ready to wake up.</p><p>Gregory closed his eyes, concentrating so hard that his head began to throb. "Please..."</p><p>Still nothing. "Please..." He repeated. "I have to be there for everyone. I have to get out of here." He opened his eyes, and was greeted with darkness. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees. "C'mon!" He growled. "C'mon! Why won't you appear!?"</p><p>Nobody responded. All he had was silence and darkness to greet him. Finally, out of anger, he thrust his fist into the wall. What happened surprised him, causing him to fall back on his rear. When his fist had struck the wall, a burst of violet light had seemed to erupt out of his hand.</p><p>A smile split it's way across Greg's face- even though he couldn't see his SOUL, he'd just used its power. Maybe he could break out of here...</p><p>"If you think you'll be doing your family any favors by escaping, you're much less intelligent than I thought," a familiar voice called to Greg. He frantically looked around, expecting to see Krashna, but nobody else was in the room.</p><p>"Don't look so nervous. I'm communicating with you through a microphone. I know you can't see the speaker without your glasses, so don't bother looking for it. Gregory, as the merciful-"</p><p>Krashna's voice was interrupted by someone speaking Russian in the background.</p><p>"Ahem... as I was saying... as the merciful leader I am, I've decided to give you one last chance to surrender the easy way. If you don't comply, I'm going to have my subordinates beat you into obedience."</p><p>Suddenly feeling a lot more confident, he stood defiantly in place, still gritting his teeth. Greg had just used his SOUL for the first time. If he had a chance of doing anything... of getting out of here... he decided to ask a question. "Why are you doing this?" He asked. "Why are you so focused on me? I'm just some nerdy kid. Why would the Messiah even want me?"</p><p>"You're in no position to be asking questions, Gregory. If you must know, you have untapped potential that the Messiah wants to get their hands on. I even made it one of my personal projects to recruit you and get that potential on our side... however, you've done nothing but disappoint me so far."</p><p>"I'm never gonna join you! Bring it on!" Greg shouted, stiffening his posture and puffing his chest out courageously.</p><p>He heard a snicker in reply, before light flooded the room, a door across from him opening, two men stepping in slowly- presumably the men that had dragged him here. Greg gulped, suddenly beginning to feel a lot less confident now that he was faced with physical danger. He wasn't even sure he could summon that power he just had earlier.</p><p>Greg nearly opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but quickly closed it. No, there was still a chance he could win this fight. But even if he did, he wasn't sure if it would solve his problems.</p><p>Greg ran toward one of the men, swinging his fist- but he wasn't fast enough, and the Messiah grunt simply took a step back, before driving his foot into Greg's stomach. The boy felt his eyes roll back in his head, collapsing to the cold floor.</p><p>His air had left his lungs, and his guts were clenching tightly as he held onto his stomach in pain, tears welling in his eyes from the pain. Before he could even chance a recovery, the same grunt drove his foot against Greg's side, knocking him to the side. Greg opened his mouth to plead for him to stop, but he still couldn't breath.</p><p>"You had plenty of chances to surrender," one of the grunts scoffed. "Don't even try now, kid."</p><p>Gregory couldn't even see anything- the dark spots dancing in his eyes were too overpowering, and any adaption his eyes had taken to the shadowy room was all but lost. Another foot slammed into Greg's side once again, mercilessly, his ribcage burning with pain.</p><p>Desperately, he tried to call upon the power of his SOUL again, but to no avail as he received a rather nasty kick to the head. He felt his head jerk back from the hit, and tasted blood as he desperately started trying to crawl away, only to receive another kick to his side. He cried out in pain, unable to defend himself in any way, the men beating him mercilessly.</p><p>Kick after kick after kick, Greg wondered when it was going to end. There was the occasional pause, when Greg thought it had ended, but his thoughts were constantly interrupted by more strikes.</p><p>It had to have been going on for, at the very least, fifteen minutes, before the two men finally ceased.</p><p>"Are you willing to accept the leader's offer now?" one of them demanded.</p><p>Greg laid on the ground, beaten, bruised, and bloody, breathing heavily. Slowly, he raised his head, struggling to do so as he looked up at the grunt. It took every ounce of strength in him, but he managed to spit out one word. "No."</p><p>Immediately, he got a kick right under his chin, but the continued abuse was stopped by a commanding voice. "Stop."</p><p>Krashna stood at the entrance, a massive figure behind him, carrying a case. "You two may leave. I have a method I would love to try."</p><p>The two men wordlessly walked out, and Krashna approached Greg, grinning maliciously. "This here is my friend, Nikolai. He's been trained in the art of torture. Traveled the world perfecting it. He's broken stronger men than you."</p><p>"You're not gonna break me," Greg spat, a drop of his blood falling on Krashna's shoe. Greg sat up, but immediately felt Krashna's foot slam into his chin, knocking him into the air, and then on his back. Greg could feel more blood pool in his mouth, and it was lucky he hadn't lost any teeth.</p><p>"YA mogu spravit'sya s nim otsyuda," Nikolai stated. Krashna gave the Russian a nod, before turning and slowly walking out of the room, giving Gregory one last malicious gaze.</p><p>Greg groaned, trying to sit up, but failing to do so, feeling the energy draining from his body quicker than he could attempt to replace it. Nikolai approached Gregory, staring down at him for a moment, before picking him up by his neck with one arm, and slamming him against the wall, holding him there as he set the case he was carrying down, opening it with his free hand, revealing an assortment of sharp tools inside.</p><p>Wordlessly, the Russian grabbed a metal rod, setting it aside, before grabbing what looked like a small metal platform, pressing a button on its side, and setting it down. He then grabbed the metal rod, placing the tip of it- which appeared to be some sort of design -on the surface of the platform. He then looked toward Greg, who was clawing at Nikolai's hand as he was still choking the boy, before he looked back down at his tools, eying them for a moment before selecting a very small blade, and waving it in front of Greg's face, still saying nothing. Greg couldn't have spoken even if he wanted to- there was no way to plead or shout for help, not with the man's hand mercilessly choking him. Greg shut his eyes, trying not to make any sudden movements as he felt the cold steel against his skin, slowly tracing along his neck... The sensation only lasted for a moment, before it turned into a sharp, stinging pain as Nikolai made a shallow, but still very painful cut. He kicked desperately against the man, but Nikolai didn't seem capable of budging as he cut slow and shallow, making it as painful and non-lethal as he could.</p>
<hr/><p>Nikolai stepped outside of the dark room, his hands bloody as he straightened his shirt, carrying his suitcase with the other. Krashna stood across from the door, leaning against the wall. "Is he willing to comply?" Krashna asked. Nikolai shrugged, saying nothing as he turned away and walked down the hall. Krashna rolled his eyes, turning and walking into the dark room to see for himself. Slumped on the ground was Gregory, clutching at his wounds. Krashna could tell, even through the darkness, that much blood had been drawn.</p><p>"How about it, Gregory?" Krashna called to the boy. "You don't want to suffer anymore, do you? If you'll just comply, I'll see to it that you receive the best medical care we can offer. You'll have a warm bed to sleep in tonight, and then in the morning, I'll tell you about my plans for you. But if you continue to resist... well, things will only get worse for you and your family."</p><p>"...alright," Greg coughed.</p><p>"You'll comply?"</p><p>"Yeah," Greg said, almost too quiet for the other boy to hear.</p><p>A wide smile slowly split across Krashna's face as he used his foot to turn Greg over to see his face. The boy didn't resist, slumping onto his back with a weak, pained groan. The symbol of the sun was burnt into his skin on his chest, dead center. Branded by the Messiah. He was covered in small cuts all over his body, and a piece of his ear seemed to be missing. He was checkered in spots of black and blue bruises, and overall, had taken a surprising amount of damage to finally yield. Krashna had to admit, he was a little impressed.</p><p>"Let's hope you look a little more presentable tomorrow morning," Krashna snickered, turning away from Gregory and pulling out what looked to be a cell phone. He tapped something onto the screen, and it began to ring.</p><p>"Bring a few people to escort our new friend to the infirmary," the boy said, before hanging up the call, not bothering to exchange anymore words with whoever was on the other line.</p>
<hr/><p>Slowly, Gregory opened his eyes, aching all over. He felt terrible, and after a few moments, he remembered everything that had happened. With a jolt, he sat up quickly, regretting this immediately as pain shot up his side. It felt like one of his ribs had cracked or something, and he laid back down with a pained grunt.</p><p>"Hey, don't move so quickly," a voice ordered. Greg blinked, looking around the room he was in.</p><p>He appeared to be in an infirmary, covered in bandages. A woman was standing a few feet away, wearing a bright blue hairnet and an equally blue mask, writing on a clipboard.</p><p>"Gregory Favian. How do you feel?"</p><p>"Awful..."</p><p>"Do you know where you are?"</p><p>"...um... Messiah?"</p><p>"Can you see clearly?"</p><p>Greg paused, absorbing the question. He hadn't noticed it, but he could see clearly, despite his glasses still being nowhere in sight.</p><p>"I... yeah. Woah."</p><p>"Good. Leader Krashna will be pleased. Can you move without any pain?"</p><p>"Not really..."</p><p>"Hm... more anesthesia and SOUL-healing, then." The woman noted, not even looking at him. "Stay there while I retrieve Leader Krashna. You have a very busy day ahead of you." With that, she walked away, and Greg leaned back, feeling his gut twist painfully. He couldn't believe this was happening. Here he was in the base of the Messiah. Or maybe an outpost. He didn't know. He just wanted to leave. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his friends again.</p><p>Almost everything that had happened last night felt like a bad dream. He'd been kidnapped, beaten, tortured until he could barely move...</p><p>And then he'd agreed to help the Messiah. He couldn't believe they'd broken him. What kind of a friend was he, agreeing to go along with Krashna's horrible plans...?</p><p>He laid there, wallowing in regret and self-pity before the woman returned, Krashna following close behind. How a kid who looked around Greg's age became a leader of the Messiah he had no idea. Perhaps it was better he didn't know.</p><p>"You're awake. Good. Get up." Krashna ordered. "Leader Krashna, he's not-"</p><p>"I'll let you know when I need your input, Nurse." The boy interrupted her, before snapping back to Gregory. "I said get up."</p><p>Greg didn't want to move, but he didn't want to get beaten or sliced up again either, so he slowly began to climb out of the comfortable infirmary bed. Once he was on his feet, the room began to spin.</p><p>"Good. Now, follow me. I'm taking you to our cafeteria."</p><p>"...why?" Greg asked.</p><p>"Because you look like you're ready to fall over and die. You can't be of any use to me like that. Besides, you already agreed to become one with the Messiah. Therefore, there's no reason why you have to suffer any longer." Krashna turned. "Follow me."</p><p>Greg hated to admit it, but his stomach was snarling, and it was hard to resist Krashna's offer. He regretted not finishing that burger at Grillby's the other day.</p><p><em>'No longer have to suffer, my ass'.</em> He thought to himself, before timidly falling into step behind Krashna, absolutely terrified at what might happen to him. What sort of things he'd see. He found himself continually longing to go home.</p><p>Greg elected to remain silent as he followed Krashna out of the infirmary, coming upon a large circular tunnel that led to an intersection. Everything seemed to be made of dirty gray metals.</p><p>The tunnel continued for a couple of minutes- normally, Greg wouldn't mind, but his whole body was in pain with each step. He could feel the anesthesia beginning to wear off, too...</p><p>"We're here," Krashna stated, coming to a stop, eyes fixed on a large archway at the end of the tunnel. Inside was the Messiah's cafeteria.</p><p>"Go eat something," Krashna demanded. "Don't dawdle."</p><p>With a gulp, Greg walked slowly past Krashna into the cafeteria, his whole body trembling slight from last night's traumatic events still. The cafeteria was large, and quite full at the moment. Countless people in black clothing sat at the tables, their masks up so they could eat.</p><p>It was scary, really... just how many people the Messiah had at their disposal. Greg found himself wondering why the Messiah hadn't just launched a full assault yet. They had the numbers, and quite clearly the power...</p><p>He wound his way to the food line, where a burly-looking bald woman was slapping grub onto people's plates. It didn't seem too different from any school lunch line, so the boy grabbed himself a plate, stepping into line, trying to ignore the eyes staring at him. He stuck out like a sore thumb here. He was shorter than them all, and wearing a bright blue shirt with a faded pair of jeans.</p><p>When the woman slapped a scoop of food onto Gregory's plate, he noticed that it seemed to be some kind of mixture of scrambled egg, bacon, hash brown, and cheese. He wasn't quite sure why it was all mixed together; maybe for the sake of convenience. Either way, it didn't look too bad.</p><p>Now he just had to find a table. He looked around the cafeteria- each one looked pretty much the same, aside from one table that was a little out of the way. The people at that table didn't wear masks- there was a purple-haired girl in a dark hoodie who didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Greg assumed it was because she was sitting beside two people who were clearly flirting it up, or at least one of them was. A pink-haired girl with a devious smile, and a man wearing nothing on his upper body, only a pair of white pants. Also at the table was a man who towered over everyone else in the room, even while sitting- Greg's blood ran cold as he recognized him as the man who'd attacked Frisk, himself, and Terrence.</p><p>Though... he looked a little worse for wear right now.</p><p>He decided to approach that table. It wasn't as though there was anywhere left to sit. Even empty spots along the walls were taken by standing Messiah members eating their breakfast. He had no idea why this table was mostly still free, or why the people occupying it weren't dressed like the others, but he didn't really want to know.</p><p>His plan was to keep his head down and not draw attention.</p><p>So, of course, the moment he sat down at the table, all eyes turned to him as a hush fell over the room. The guy without a shirt turned his gaze on Greg, appearing more concerned than anything else. "I'm sorry, but you're not allowed at this table. This is for Lieutenants."</p><p>"It's fine, Mosu." The purple-haired girl replied irritably. Mosu looked at her for a moment, before returning to his food. The girl across from him stared at him, biting her lip as she moved her foot to rub his leg. This only seemed to make Mosu uncomfortable as he tried to ignore it. "What's your deal?" the purple-haired girl whispered to Gregory, and he looked at her, expecting aggression- but instead, he found a look of curiosity. She didn't have the same cruel gaze that Krashna or Nikolai gave off- in fact, she almost looked... friendly. For a Messiah lieutenant, of course.</p><p>"I'm... new around here," Gregory swallowed, beginning to dig into his food mid-conversation.</p><p>"They usually don't recruit kids as old as you," the girl replied. He gulped at that. He was <em>older</em> than their usual recruits? "And you aren't wearing the usual grunt clothing. There has to be something else to it." Greg frowned. "I'm... Krashna's new recruit," he explained in a hushed tone.</p><p>"Oh. Gregory, isn't it? I heard you'd be brought here eventually. I guess Krashna must have gotten impatient. My name's Trickster, but most people call me Trixie." The girl extended a hand. Greg swallowed the food in his mouth, before hesitantly shaking it with his own. Trixie eyed him for a moment in interest, before she spoke again. "You know why you're here, don't you?"</p><p>"Kinda here against my will." Greg muttered, though he instantly regretted it, expecting her to turn hostile, but she only chuckled sadly at that. "Yeah... a lot of us are." She replied. "Mag, Krashna and I... we were all inducted when we were real little. We never got a chance to grow up outside of this. But the Messiah is our home now. And we defend it."</p><p>Sensing an opening to discuss something on his mind, Greg leaned forward, speaking again. "Defend it from what? Monsters?" She nodded, so he continued. "I haven't met a single monster who even remotely tried to wrong a human." He informed her. "It's been thin ice, and they've been on their best behavior. Your people were the ones who struck first."</p><p>"Don't let Krashna catch you talking like that." Trickster stated gravely.</p><p>"But... it's the truth, isn't it?" Greg dropped his voice to a whisper, catching on that his ideals wouldn't be appreciated if anyone else heard.</p><p>"The Messiah operates under a set of beliefs much different from yours," Trixie replied calmly. "It's not about what monsters are doing in the present. The Messiah's motivation to do what they do lies in the past. Some people fear that history will repeat itself- and some people fear change." Greg took another bite of food. "Do you believe that what you're doing is right?"</p><p>"I try not to think about it," Trixie shrugged. "I just do as I'm told, obediently. The Messiah is the only family I've ever known, so they have my loyalty. Even if being loyal to them means I have to get my hands dirty." Greg pursed his lips, leaning back. He honestly had no idea what had happened in the past to make the Messiah like this. To make these people fear monsters even though they were doing nothing wrong. "What happened in the past?" Greg asked, and Trixie scoffed. "You're all cozy up with that Frisk girl. How would you not know?"</p><p>"I guess I... never thought to ask before." Greg admitted, looking down.</p><p>"Listen... the next time you have a chance, I suggest you study the history of human and monster wars," Trixie told him. "Believe me, there's a lot of it. But right now? You don't wanna keep Krashna waiting. He's not patient." Greg nodded, taking a few more quick bites. "Yeah... I figured,"</p><p>"Hey, listen. I know you must be convinced that we're all awful people, but... it's not true," Trixie said. "I know you disagree with what we do, but it's just how we operate. And as for Krashna..." She frowned. "He's not the same kid he used to be. But he only acts the way he does because of everything he went through to become a leader. And everything that comes with being a leader." She folded her arms. "He... doesn't know any better. Try not to take anything he says personally."</p><p>"Right..." Greg leaned back, glancing around the room, still very much uncomfortable. He finished his meal, took several minutes to find out where to put his dirty plate, before he left the cafeteria, secretly hoping he could just waltz out of the base somehow- but he had no such luck. Krashna stood at the entrance, leaned against the wall, arms folded, waiting for him. "Eat faster next time." He instructed. "This isn't a bed and breakfast."</p><p>Gregory didn't say anything in reply, just waiting for whatever his next order was. "Walk with me," Krashna ordered, turning his back to Greg as he began to return down the tunnel they'd come through. Greg followed, disgusted by how obedient he was acting.</p><p>"I'm sure you're aware that Voxis High School homecoming is fast approaching," Krashna began.</p><p>There was a long moment of silence, before Greg hesitantly replied with; "...yes...?" With that, Krashna continued. "I need your help on that day." He stated. "You see, our plans had to be revised because we underestimated our enemy. This time, however, we won't fail." He smirked. "We will be striking fast and hard, and leave the monsters without their powerful leaders. Your job is to assist me in killing your friends."</p><p>Greg could feel his heart physically stop. His legs stopped moving, and he stood in place, eyes wide, before his heart started thumping again, faster than before. "Is that an issue?" Krashna asked, folding his arms. "Of course it is. I'm not gonna help you kill my friends."</p><p>"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Krashna replied. "Unless you're willing to let me arrange for Nikolai to pay a visit to your family."</p><p>Greg's eyes widened.</p><p>"Do you understand your situation yet?" Krashna's eyes glittered. "I'm making you pick between your friends and your family. Your pacifistic values have grown exhausting, Gregory. Someone is going to die based on your choice, and that's that. Give me your answer." Krashna's words rang in his ears, and the sheer carelessness of it stung. The choice he was being forced to make was an absolutely brutal one. Not only that, but there was no situation where his friends wouldn't be attacked. The only choice he was truly being given here was choosing whether or not his family lived or died.</p><p>It was a horrifying choice. If he submitted to his task under the Messiah, he would be betraying his only friends. The friends that had helped him through so much. The friends who had taught him to care about others. But his family would be safe. If he still tried to help his friends, then... well, he and his family would just be killed, and his friends would still be attacked.</p><p>"I can tell from your face that it's sinking in," Krashna nodded. "You're starting to realize how powerless you truly are. Cooperation guarantees the safety of your family. Failing to cooperate means they'll die." The white-haired boy placed a hand on his hip, cocking his head to the side. "It's a really simple choice. You have straight A pluses, Gregory. You should be smart enough to see the obvious path."</p><p>"You mean the only choice I have." Gregory mumbled. Krashna didn't reply to this, but his smirk seemed to stretch wider. Greg had no idea how a kid as old as him had become so callous, cold, and cruel. It was hard to believe Trixie on the idea that this guy used to be any different. Feeling his stomach sink, he lowered his head, speaking to the floor. "What are you gonna make me do?"</p><p>"It's quite simple, really," Krashna replied. "I've made it a personal project of mine to eliminate your friends, Gregory. But you... I can tell you're different from them. Isn't it tiring? Feeling like you don't fit in? Doesn't it make your insides twist to think about what a fifth wheel you are?"</p><p>Gregory felt grosser and grosser the more Krashna spoke.</p><p>"Essentially, I just need you to get Terrence Anoma, Sadie Brexin, and Rian Dasterian in the same place when I say so." Krashna then laughed quietly under his breath. "It's flawless. They won't suspect a thing." It was like a nightmare come true. He could recall telling his friends he'd never choose the Messiah over them after he'd returned from visiting Lightway University. Now he was being forced to do just that, and he was powerless to oppose it.</p><p>"You don't actually have to think about it, do you?" Krashna scoffed.</p><p>"...I kinda have to do it," Greg sighed.</p><p>"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," Krashna nodded. "That wasn't so hard. Now, I'll show you the rest of our facilities."</p><p>Greg had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.</p><p>Krashna led him to the crew quarters, which was massive to say the least. There had to be at least five hundred beds, all apparently in use.</p><p>Krashna assured him this wasn't where he was staying, as his role was more important than a grunt. Then he took him to the command quarters, where the lieutenants stayed. Once again, Krashna told him this wasn't where he was staying. Then he took him down a passageway that branched off the command quarters. It was a dark, seemingly rarely used hall, where at the end of it, they came across the SPEC quarters. There were three rooms attached to the lounge room they'd entered, and it was all a little dusty.</p><p>"Every leader has a personal protégé." Krashna explained. "One they personally train. These students are known as SPEC soldiers. There are only ever three. One for each leader. You, Gregory, are my protégé." Greg felt his blood run cold for what had to have been the hundredth time in the last twenty-four hours. He didn't want to be Krashna's protégé. The Messiah was planning to keep using him for their cruel acts, even after forcing him to help kill his closest friends in the world.</p><p>These people disgusted him, but he couldn't exactly express it.</p><p>"Nothing? I expect you to become a lot more talkative once you're my official protégé, Gregory. I'm sure it won't take too long to mold you into my vision, but you'll have to make more of an effort. If not... well, I can always get rid of you. You may be special, but make no mistake- you are not invincible to us."</p><p>Greg swallowed. "Noted."</p><p>Krashna swept a finger across the central table, looking at the dust before wiping it away on his pants. "Clean this place up. You will be meeting the other SPECs shortly. They're just returning from a rather crucial mission out at the Dead Sea. Really hush hush, but I'm sure they'll tell you all about it if you ask nicely." With that, Krashna turned and left, leaving Greg alone to stew in his worry.</p><p>Gregory didn't feel like cleaning, but it was obvious by now that defying Krashna's will would only result in him- and others- getting hurt. Besides... if the Messiah was going to force him to stay in this place, he'd at least prefer for it not to be coated in dust.</p>
<hr/><p>Gregory quickly stood up from the table, wiping away the tears on his face as he took a step back, hearing voices coming from down the corridor, talking quickly and quietly. He only hoped it wasn't Krashna. He couldn't stand that kid. The longer he listened, the closer the voices got. It was clearly a conversation between a man and a woman, but the door to the chamber was shut, and he couldn't quite make their words out...</p><p>But, on the bright side, neither voice sounded like Krashna.</p><p>He stood there awkwardly for a few moments, making sure it didn't look like he'd recently been crying before two people walked in. One was a large figure with shaggy blue hair and a constant scowl on his face. A lit cigarette sat in his mouth as he listened to the blonde girl beside him talk, her magenta eyes covered by a pair of shades.</p><p>Neither even looked at Greg as they walked by him and approached a console on the far side of the room, powering it up. "We can't keep going out on these hunting missions for rumors anymore. The leaders need to see that we're needed here." The woman was saying as the man folded his arms, staring at the screen, remaining silent.</p><p>Greg was confused; did they even realize he was here? Were they ignoring him intentionally, or was whatever they were discussing just that important? He didn't really know how to feel. Maybe it was for the best that the Messiah didn't want to harass him for once.</p><p>"You know, I hear they're already launching Phase 1.2 soon," the girl continued. "We aren't a part of it, obviously. We'll probably be out on another mission like that last one, again."</p><p>The console finished waking up, and the blue-haired man began typing away at the keyboard as the woman continued, apparently very used to his silence.</p><p>"Next thing you know, they'll send us out to find Bigfoot or something. I mean, sure, there's potential it's a feral monster like the snake-people we killed in Greece, but there's no evidence to support Bigfoot. Oh, or maybe they'll send us after Nessie next. Maybe Count Dracula."</p><p>Greg swallowed. "I'm gonna have to look for cryptids?" he asked, immediately regretting speaking as the blonde turned her head to eye him, the blue-haired man still not saying anything, taking a puff of his cigarette.</p><p>"Gregory." The woman stated, eyeing him for a moment. "Typical of Krashna to pick some scrawny little kid he can push around. Do you know what you're getting into?" Greg scratched his arm awkwardly. "Uh... I'm here against my will."</p><p>"Classic Krashna. Of course you are. That's all this place is." The woman rolled her eyes. "I am Arrow. This talkative little ball of fluff here is Ravager. To answer your question; yes. Where do you think legends come from? You think Greek mythology is fictional, don't you? Wrong. We've fought a Hydra before. Cryptids are just a subspecies of monsterkind. A feral version. At least, that's what some would say. The old books say otherwise."</p><p>"Um... are you the other SPECs?" Gregory asked. "I thought you'd both be... well, scarier."</p><p>"I could say the same to you," Arrow shrugged, walking over and sitting down at the table, attention fixed on the screen."And... Krashna's gonna make me go and fight those feral cryptids with you two?" Greg swallowed, processing this. He was having a hard time believing any of this was true.</p><p>"Maybe later. From what I hear, Krashna himself is stepping in for the next phase of our plans, and he's dragging you along with him." Arrow stated, and turned back to Ravager. "Finished logging the mission yet?" A couple seconds passed, before he took a step back, shutting the console off, giving the girl a nod. He then turned to Gregory, eyed him for a moment, before extending a hand.</p><p>"Go ahead and shake it before he decides he doesn't like you." Arrow advised. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite hard."Greg nervously extended his own hand, wincing as he felt Ravager's tight and crushing grip, feeling like every bone in his hand was getting rearranged. "Listen, kid, I've got some advice for you," Arrow offered as Gregory managed to get his hand back. "You have the same look I did when I was first recruited. Fear. Hesitance. Anger. Sorrow. Do you want to escape?"</p><p>Greg froze- if he said yes, would they snitch to Krashna?</p><p>"I'll take that as a yes," Arrow folded her arms. "Take it from me. There's no escape. Your best bet is to do what your leader says and pray that you get used to what goes on around here. Okay?"</p><p>"Has anybody ever tried to escape?" Greg asked, tucking his throbbing hand into his armpit. "During my time here? No. But I've heard stories. The last people who tried to escape were chased down all the way to the Bahamas. And they were killed. Being in the Messiah, whether by choice or not, is a life sentence." The boy gulped, feeling the familiar clench of his guts in his fear and anxiety. "Oh..."</p><p>"We'll see you around." Arrow patted his shoulder before she and Ravager left the room, leaving Greg alone to think about this revelation.</p><p>"Did you like your fellow SPECs?" a voice called from the corner of the room after several minutes. Greg's eyes darted around, quickly detecting Krashna standing, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "...they were alright," Greg replied, feeling his mouth grow dry. He blinked, and the golden-eyed boy was gone. At least, he thought so until he felt the hand on his shoulder from behind.</p><p>"Listen," the boy began, "I'm sending you back home. If you were to suddenly go missing, your friends would become suspicious, and might even skip out on Homecoming... but once it's all over, you'll be permanently relocated here. Understood?"</p><p>"...understood," Gregory said quietly. Would he be here forever? Never allowed to see his family ever again? He didn't want the Messiah to become his new family. There was just no way to accept that. "See yourself out," Krashna ordered, before turning and disappearing through the doorway.</p>
<hr/><p>Gregory opened the front door to his home to find his mother standing anxiously near the entrance. She stared at him for a moment, but no words were shared as he made his way past her, trudging into his room, closing the door behind him, and collapsing on his bed, feeling sick to his stomach.</p><p>"What am I gonna do..." He groaned quietly, grabbing his phone off his nightstand and turning it on. His friends had been trying to get ahold of him all day apparently, and they'd gone to Grillby's as well as met Gerson. He only felt worse as he turned the device off, closing his eyes as he felt tears beginning to well in them.</p><p>There was only one thing he could do.</p><p>For the sake of his family... he'd have to turn on his friends.</p></div></div></div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I apologize for the lack of new content. As Season 1a of VOXISTALE may be finished, Season 1b is still under work. Don't fear, it will come eventually, but until then, we have developed something special in the meantime, to build and expand the lore of VOXISTALE. It's more content for everyone, and we sincerely hope you will come to enjoy it.</p><p>If you are intrigued, then you should check out VOXISTALE Shorts. It, as the name suggests, is a compilation of shorts set in the universe of VOXISTALE, each chapter following another character, whether the events be a few years ago, or a thousand.</p><p>So consider checking it out! It will be updated as frequently as possible, and will bridge Season 1a to Season 1b. Thank you for being here, and taking an interest in this relatively new AU. It'll be a journey, but it'll be a journey worth having. Please feel free to share feedback in any way you can! VOXISTALE also has a Wiki page now, and there you can find a link to our Discord server, so if you want to get in touch with me, that's the best way.</p><p>Until next time!</p><p>-Comic</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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